Saurian Code Productions: Season Two
by Nightbloom
Summary: The adventures continue in an all new season leading up to an interesting revelation in the season finale. Ep 11 up! Part 1 of the season finale. The Saurians attack with more force than before, and so does the media, leaving Klegghorn to make a surprising choice. Posted 6/1/13
1. Episode List and Author's Note

A/N: I will be posting each Episode as a chapter. I figure it would be easier to figure out the order, plus you can skip to which ever episode you like faster than trying to scroll through my growing list of fics.

As I post each episode, I will be adding the summary here so you have an idea of which one you want to read. Unless, of course, I'm told to remove this chapter/ episode list, for at least I can hope that I will be asked to remove it and not have my stories deleted right away. Because it's not really a place holder. More of a table of contents, like in a book. Plus it's in the beginning.

So read on and enjoy, reviews and constructive criticism most appreciated.

Disclaimer: The show and canon characters of Mighty Ducks the Animated Series do not belong to me. These works of fiction are done out of entertainment and no money is being made by any of these.

Episode 1: Returning Fears - Dragaunus is out of jail, Nightbloom is back, and all the ducks are up in arms. (Re-edited)

Episode 2: Dish Best Served Cold -Jail breaks are in as Shyster busts out, looking for revenge against Nosedive. (Re-edited)

Episode 3: Jealousy - A look into the growing relationship between Canard and Nosedive. . . and Wildwing's reaction to it. (Re-edited)

Episode 4: Primary Colors - A new detective is threatening Klegghorn's position as captain while a vandal is ruining all sorts of fun spots for kids.

Episode 5: Attack – During a publicity stunt at Anaheim's Zoo, Dragaunus creates a diversion while launching an attack against the Pond where Nosedive and Tanya are all alone.

Episode 6: Mall Ducks – Wildwing tries to relax and lets his brother venture out with Mallory supervising him. However, Dragaunus's droids attack the mall.

Episode 7: Alpha - The Saurians attempt to take over a satellite, with Dragaunus trying to find out Nightbloom's intentions. Meanwhile, Canard and Dive talk about Wing, while Duke and Wing talk about Dive.

Episode 8: Leadership Part 1: Under Pressure - Invited to a party that ends up being taken over by hostage takers, the ducks try to help others while finding each other and Klegghorn tries to deal with the Feds to take back control of the situation.

Episode 9: Leadership Part 2: Resignation - The ducks and Klegghorn attempt to track Nosedive while trying to keep the hostage situation under control.

Episode 10: Klegghorn; The Man Behind the Badge - Just what goes on in Klegghorn's life that makes him so bitter? He is just a human. Just a man. Just a man who holds a badge.

Episode 11: Allies and Enemies: Battles (Part 1) - A sudden attack on Anaheim brings the Ducks and Captain Klegghorn under fire both from Dragaunus and the media. An Anti-Alien movement begins and Klegghorn find himself suspended. Yet there is still a larger battle to take place and neither party is willing to back down from the fight that may result in tragedy. (New Episode)

Episode 12: Allies and Enemies: Countdown (Part 2) – Recovering from a failed strike against the Saurians, the ducks and their allies find themselves racing against time to stop Dragaunus from initiating his invasion. But the attacks from before were just the beginning, and they were nothing compared to what he is about to release. (Coming Soon)

Episode 12: Allies vs. Enemies: Sacrifices (Part 3) – Conclusion and season finale.


	2. Ep 1: Returning Fears

_A/N: Mighty Ducks the Animated Series and its characters belong to Disney. Nightbloom and most of the minor secondary characters are mine._

**Returning Fears**

Anaheim was a great place to live. The sun seemed to shine every day, and people were generally pleasant.

A few months back, the people of Anaheim got to know the danger that was lurking within their city, but thanks to the Mighty Ducks and the capable Anaheim police force, the threat known as Dragaunus had been dealt with.

Now a days, people felt much more secure and looked to each new day with a new found respect and awe.

Meanwhile, at the Pond, the city's heroes were practicing for the new season.

"Focus! Focus!" shouted Canard, standing in front of the goalie's net. He winced as he watched Nosedive skating way too fast towards Grin, and not paying attention.

"Aahh!" Nosedive collided into Grin and bounced off of him.

Duke laughed as he dashed off with the puck. Nosedive scrambled up onto his feet and skated after the grey duck. At the goalie's box, Canard got ready for Duke's shot. The puck came sliding across the ice. Canard swung his hokey stick and the puck went flying past Duke and Grin. Mallory stopped it and passed it back to Nosedive.

Nosedive streaked across the rink to where Wildwing was waiting. Nosedive faked a left and shot the puck to the right. The puck bounced off Wildwing's left skate and went into the net.

"Yes! Who's the duck?" crowed Nosedive, doing a victory dance on the ice.

"Time!" shouted Tanya, standing in the penalty box, watch in hand.

"Great shot," complimented Wildwing, taking off his hockey mask.

Nosedive grinned.

"Great practice, everyone," shouted Canard from the other side of the rink. "Tanya? Score? Shots?"

"Uh, four to three. Nosedive made twenty three attempts, Mallory did fourteen, uh, Duke did eighteen, and Grin did eleven. Nosedive scored all four with two assists from Mallory, Duke shot 2 and Grin shot one with an assist from Duke."

"We're improving on our shots then. Great."

Each of the ducks looked at each other, feeling pleased.

X

Anaheim's Maximum Security cells held the most dangerous criminals. Each block held one inmate, a standard sized bunk, a small sink, and a toilet bowl.

While under normal circumstances inmates were all treated the same, one recent addition was allowed a special accommodation.

Lord Dragaunus lay on his extra long cot that was still a bit too small for comfort.

He stared at the ceiling, eyes narrowing.

It had been a few months since he had been captured and put in prison by the accursed ducks and the pint sized police captain.

He growled, still feeling the utter humiliation and anger of being caught by such inferior beings.

He had been so close to victory, thanks to the mysterious Firepassion Nightbloom. Of course, things would have been better without her aura of superiority.

He had nearly destroyed the ducks by turning one of their own team members against them.

Dragaunus took a deep breath.

Darkflame had been a blessing. He never would have believed that a duck would have been a perfect successor. Unfortunately, through ill luck, Darkflame reverted back into Nosedive, and in a way, Dragaunus couldn't help but feel betrayed.

Still, Dragaunus knew it wasn't Darkflame's entire fault. After all, it was a spirit inhabiting the body. When he broke out of this miserable prison, the first thing he'd do is try to revive Darkflame, and then he would finish his revenge on those ducks.

X

Most guards that worked in the Anaheim Maximum Security prisons left within the month. Very few stayed longer. It was a tough job, having to deal with the most uncivilized people.

Guard Dan Ramis had watched over hundreds of dangerous convicts in ten years. The giant red lizard, however, was a first.

Dan's eyes flickered over to the cell that held the alien warlord, the one who caused millions of dollars worth of damage to the city of Anaheim.

For the last couple of months, all he did was lie in his cot and stare at the ceiling if he wasn't working out. He would hang out alone out in the courts, but then again, not even the humans wanted to be near him.

A few times, the red guy got a hold on some sports magazines, all featuring the Mighty Ducks. He would tear out their pictures, tack them on the wall of his cell, and one by one would mutilate their faces by slashing through it with his claws; Except for one.

Whenever he got his hands on a black marker, or even a piece of charcoal, the dinosaur man would proceed to color in the blond hair and eyes of the only duck whose face he didn't slash. Then he'd tear it down and start the process all over again.

Dan walked up the aisle, peering into each cell, nodding to a fellow guard, a newbie.

So far, everything seemed fine. Each inmate was fast asleep.

Then he stopped in front of the lizard man's cell. Once again, there was a picture. Each hockey player had a slash across their face, except for the blonde one. His eyes and hair had already been painted.

Dan narrowed his eyes. The duck looked familiar somehow. In fact, he almost looked like the missing criminal, the one who was called Dark...

"Oops!"

The other guard that was monitoring the halls bumped into him, breaking his train of thoughts.

"Sorry," continued the other guard.

"No problem," Dan responded in a gruff tone of voice. "Just watch here you're stepping next time."

Dan turned back to the lizard's cell. Then he saw a burst of stars followed by darkness.

Behind him stood the guard, nightstick in hand.

A sinister grin broke on his face before a green glow covered him. The guard morphed into something smaller.

The flash of green light caught Dragaunus's attention. Looking out, he was surprised to see none other than Chameleon.

Chameleon held out a teleporter.

X

Canard was leaning over a table, looking over some diagrams. Wildwing stood in front of him, pointing to one of the papers.

"Detroit keeps using this defensive move."

"Head's up!" shouted Duke, from somewhere to the side.

Canard lifted the paper up as Nosedive flew through the air, landed on the table, and slid right off of it.

"Then we have to come up with a new offensive," Canard continued speaking, as if nothing had happened. He set the diagram back down.

"Got it!" shouted Nosedive, leaping up to his feet, a remote in his hands. He ran back in the direction he had come from.

Wildwing cast an amused look at his little brother before turning his attention back to the diagrams.

"Give it back!" Mallory yelled.

"No way! Ya snooze, ya lose, girlie-girl!"

"Well, they always go straight down the middle..." offered Wildwing.

While Canard and Wildwing continued to come up with some new offensive strategies, Nosedive was on the couch in front of the large screen tv. He was currently on his back, fending off Mallory who was trying to grab the remote.

Mallory grinned as she gave up on going after the remote and chose to poke Nosedive's ribs.

Nosedive yelped then laughed. "Unfair!"

"In war, anything goes!"

Duke laughed hysterically as Nosedive took to defending himself from Mallory's fingers. As a result, while holding his arms around his stomach, he held one of the buttons down, causing the channels to flip.

Tanya sat on one of the other empty chairs, a small smile playing on her lips. She watched the screen as each channel flashed by.

Then she jumped up. "Wait! Change it back!"

Everyone looked at her. Nosedive sat up and began pushing the "back" button.

"Keep going," said Tanya.

"Try channel thirteen," said a new but familiar voice.

Captain Klegghorn stood at the entrance of the rec room, Phil by his side. Both of them had a grave look upon their faces.

"I was hoping to tell you the news before word got out to the public," he said, as Nosedive switched the channel.

On the screen was a woman with short brown hair. She had a serious look on her face as the rest of her words blared through the speakers. "...considered dangerous. Once again, the self proclaimed alien war lord Dragaunus apparently escaped just an hour ago. Investigations are continuing to determine how he broke free."

Nosedive dropped the remote.

"What?" cried the other ducks.

"I think the anchor woman was pretty clear. Lizard lips got out."

X

Wildwing stood outside of Nosedive's room. He glanced down the hall and saw Canard approaching him.

"How's the kid?" he asked.

"Locked himself in after Klegghorn left and hasn't come out since."

Canard stared at the doors. "Have you talked with him?"

Wildwing shook his head. "He won't answer me."

"Let me try," offered Canard, knocking on the door. "Kid? Open up, it's Canard."

Wildwing raised an eyebrow. "I doubt ordering him will make him open up."

The door slid open.

Canard raised an eyebrow in return before stepping through.

Wildwing stood with his jaw wide open as the door slid shut behind Canard.

X

"I'm back where I belong!" said Dragaunus, giving an evil laugh as he took in the surrounding of the Raptor.

"Welcome back, my liege," drawled Wraith, bowing deeply.

"Great to have you back, Boss," added Chameleon.

"Yeah," agreed Siege.

Dragaunus glared at them. "What took you?"

"I take that back," muttered Chameleon.

"Well, my lord," started Wraith.

"I suppose Nightbloom set you all up to this," he growled.

"Actually..." began Chameleon.

"We did it on our own," growled Siege.

Lord Dragaunus paused in mid rant. "Really," he said, doubtfully. "Thanks."

The sound of someone clapping slowly caught their attention.

A figure stood in the shadows and then stepped forward. A grey female Saurian stood there, clapping in a slow and mock-like manner.

"Firepassion Nightbloom," growled Dragaunus.

"Congratulations," she said, in her cold and uncaring voice. She stopped clapping and lowered her arms. "Being a good leader means being able to show an ounce of gratitude to your followers. It inspires loyalty."

Chameleon nodded his head in agreement until Siege smacked him upside the head.

"And where were you, Nightbloom?" demanded Dragaunus. "Why didn't you bail me out of that accursed place?"

"You are not my leader," she simply stated.

Dragaunus could not find any argument in that, which made him furious. He whirled around on his three henchmen, wanting to find fault in them.

"For three imbeciles," continued Nightbloom, a small smirk playing on her lips. "They certainly did a fine job in setting you free.

Dragaunus glared at her, and then stalked out of the room.

X

Anaheim's park was beautiful this time of year. Trees were thick with leaves, casting a nice shade along the pathways.

People often sat on the park benches and fed the birds, or just strolled down along the pathways.

On occasion, a family would enjoy a picnic under the sun by the lake.

The park was meant for happy times.

But for Canard and Nosedive, it was currently a place to talk without feeling boxed in. They slowly made their way up one of the less travelled paths, side by side. Trailing behind them was Wildwing, looking a bit sullen.

"Don't let this affect your plays, Dive," Canard was saying. "You've got all of us at your side."

"I know, I know, Cap," muttered Nosedive. "It's just...I thought it was over. Bad guys defeated, we're all hailed as heroes, yada yada, and all we had to do was worry about getting home. I guess I wasn't thinking when I hoped that we would be signed for another season."

Canard gave him a weird look.

"Never mind. That's beyond the point." He sighed, then dropped his voice. "Sometimes. . . sometimes I have nightmares, about him coming back to get me."

Canard looked at him in surprise. "Wildwing never mentioned that."

"I haven't told him."

Further back, Wildwing raised an eyebrow. Although he hadn't been included in the conversation, he had been listening in. Then Nosedive had spoken in a voice too low to be heard.

But he did hear the two comments that followed after that.

Wildwing paused for a moment, feeling a bit hurt. And then there was another feeling, one he couldn't identify.

What had Nosedive confided in Canard that he wouldn't confide in him? They were brothers, weren't they?

X

"Whatcha working on, boss?" Chameleon asked, nervously.

They were all in a room that had been cleared of everything but a table. It sat in the center of the room.

Charts covered the wall. The four male Saurians crowded around the table while Nightbloom stood off to the side, quietly watching them.

"I'm working on two plans," said Dragaunus. "One which I will reveal only in parts to minimize liability." He glared at the three male Saurians. "And the other is to bring Darkflame back."

"What?" exclaimed Chameleon, before slapping his forehead. "He's obsessed!"

"That," interrupted Nightbloom, "...would be unwise."

Dragaunus glared at her. "I had plenty of time to think this through."

"Did you?" Nightbloom glided towards him. "As soon as they learned of your escape, and I'm sure they heard about it within the hour, they probably have become more alert than ever, standing guard, awaiting your move."

"They can't be on guard forever."

Nightbloom sneered. "Foolish male. You are making me regret aiding you the first time around. I never should have convinced you to take the hatchling as your own." She took a slow deep breath. "But enough of that. If you insist on bringing back Darkflame, I will not help you in apprehending Nosedive. For that, you will be on your own."

"I prefer it that way!" snapped Dragaunus. "I'll show you. I'll capture that duck on my own."

Nightbloom shook her head and disappeared.

X

"Wing!" shouted Canard.

Wildwing paused, standing just outside of his room. "What is it, Canard?" he asked.

Canard jogged up to him. He nodded towards Wildwing's room.

Wildwing opened the door and both male ducks stepped in.

"Listen, Wing," started Canard. "It's not really my place to tell you, but being the hatchling's brother... you really should know. Dive's been having nightmares."

Wildwing nodded once. "Is this what he said back at the park?"

Canard nodded. "I'm thinking Dive may have been too embarrassed to admit it to you, but like I said, I figured it was something you should know. After all, you two are bonded."

"Thanks," murmured Wildwing.

Canard gave a curt nod and stepped out of the room.

_So why wasn't he afraid to admit it to Canard_? he thought to himself, the strange bitter feeling returning.

X

Nightbloom watched the monitor for a moment, before turning around to face Dragaunus. "No," she said. "I told you; you are to retrieve him on your own. Without my help. That includes any advice you are now seeking out."

Dragaunus growled.

Nightbloom stared at him. "I decide who to help and when. My choice is to sit out this round and watch you flounder about until the futility of it all becomes clear."

"Then don't show your face in here again if you aren't here to help, Nightbloom."

"Not a problem, Sir Draguanus." She bowed deeply to him, a smirk on her face. Then she disappeared.

X

Nosedive sat on top of the pond's rooftop. Inside his head, a war was raging on. The last couple of nights he'd been having the same dream over and over again.

And it always started out the same.

With a sigh, he closed his eyes.

_Nosedive opened his eyes and found himself floating mid air. The space around him was magenta in color. Little tufts of white clouds floated alongside him. Islands of land were scattered all around, floating above, below, and to the sides._

_Many looked green and full of life._

_But there was one that caught his attention._

_Up ahead floated an island that was grey and dismal._

_With a frown, Nosedive willed himself towards it. He floated along, and as he neared the island, he began to descend. His feet landed gently on the edge. Glancing back, he saw nothing but darkness, and stars fading in, then out. He looked forward, and began to walk._

_The dirt crunched underneath his feet. Bare trees loomed over him. Nothing but doom and death seemed to exist. Small bones shined in the dim light. Up ahead lay a large black mound._

_Despite the growing fear and sense of danger, Nosedive approached it._

_He circled around it and stopped. He slowly reached forward to touch it._

_It was moist and sticky._

_A white hand broke through, grabbing his wrist._

_Nosedive let out a yelp and tried to pull away._

_But whatever had a hold of him was using him as an anchor and pulling itself forward._

_Nosedive let out a gasp as he watched his own face emerging. Black eyes filled with malice glittered in the light. Black hair framed his face._

_Darkflame grinned at him, then yanked him into the black mound._

_Nosedive yelled as he felt his body turn cold. Then he found himself plummeting into a dark void. Laughter could be heard echoing through his head._

_A faint image of Dragaunus loomed over him._

_"Welcome home, son."_

"Nosedive?"

"Ahh!" Nosedive's eyes snapped open as a tan hand landed on his shoulders. He took a deep breath and clutched his chest before dropping onto his back. He tried to get his speeding heart back under control.

Canard peered down at him, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Dive. Thought you were just ignoring my approach." He looked around. "What are you doing up here anyhow?"

Nosedive sat up, still a bit shaky. "Just thinking."

"Don't sprain anything," Canard teased gently.

Nosedive blinked, and then whirled around, sputtering indignantly. "Hey! I think!"

Canard chuckled as Nosedive began to rant off each time he'd thought things through.

It was nice to have the young duck think of other things.

X

Nosedive smiled to himself as he walked back to his room. He knew that Canard was only trying to divert his attentions and thoughts from unpleasant matters.

And he did thank him for that. Not out loud, of course.

"Nosedive!"

Nosedive turned around, spotting Wildwing. The older avian looked upset.

"Where were you?" he demanded.

Nosedive opened his mouth to answer.

"You could have been captured, or worse, and I wouldn't have known it!"

"Chill, bro!," responded Nosedive, taken aback by his brother's outburst. "It's all right. I've got Canard keeping tabs on me when you're not around." Nosedive shook his head and stepped into his room muttering something about over protective brothers.

Wildwing remained silent outside, thinking about what Nosedive had just said. That strange feeling returned once more, and Wildwing didn't like it one bit.

X

Dragaunus watched as his droid army was slowly being rebuilt. He narrowed his eyes.

_I don't need Nightbloom for this,_ he thought to himself. I can do this on my own. _Then I'll rub it in her face. I'll have Darkflame back by my side, and on top of that, I'll rule this world. After so many years in limbo, my followers will gladly destroy this world in a matter of seconds._

With that thought in mind, the Saurian war lord began to laugh.

Siege, Wraith, and Chameleon glanced towards him, then looked at each other. With a shake of their heads, they each resumed their chores, gathering supplies, checking for mechanical failures, and wondering just what did their leader have in mind.

**In the next Episode of The Mighty Ducks**

"Maybe if we install a camera here," said Wildwing, pointing to a section on a diagram of the Pond.

Canard made a face. "Don't you think that you are being just a little paranoid? Next thing you know, you're going to install cameras in Dive's room!"

Nosedive snorted. "He already did!"

Wildwing gave a sheepish grin. "All right, I may be a tad over protective right now. . ."

X

Wildwing's com unit buzzed.

"Wildwing," he answered.

"It's Klegghorn," came the reply. "We've got a situation."

"What kind?" asked Wildwing, fearing that something had happened to his little brother.

"There's been a break out at the Maximum Security. Shyster and his entire gang have escaped."

"Shyster?" For a moment, Wildwing blanked out.

"The terrorist the kid helped catch. He made some threats on his way to the cruiser,and apparently still harbors some extreme resentment against the kid."

Up ahead, Nosedive could make out the light of the exit.

A frustrated scream was soon heard.

Nosedive grinned, then ducked as glass began exploding everywhere.

X

"Stay where you are so I can kill you!" he heard Shyster yell.

"I don't think so," said Nosedive, diving towards the exit.


	3. Ep 2: Dish Best Served Cold

_Mighty Ducks the Animated Series belongs to Disney. Nightbloom belongs to me. No money being made, these stories are purely for entertainment._

**Dish Best Served Cold**

A middle aged man with short black hair sat in a desk in the center of an office. The walls were decorated with frames of diplomas and certifications. Book shelves were lined with books from Erickson, Freud, Jung, and other well renown psychologists.

The desk itself was made of mahogany wood, and a small plaque reading "Dr. Gene Wagner" rested on the top.

Doctor Wagner himself was checking over some records. Each file had the psychological make up of each inmate that currently resided at the Anaheim Maximum Security Prison. These group of inmates were considered the most dangerous of Anaheim's criminals, and it was his job to find out what made them tick and if at all possible, make them more civil.

He paused at one file which was marked by a red flag. Curiosity got the best of him and he opened it up. He adjusted the glasses framing his brown eyes as he skimmed through the contents and let out a low whistle.

Prisoner 391TSHY was a former military leader turned terrorist. His minor offenses included armed robbery, battery and assault, and false imprisonment. His knowledge in stealth and military tactics kept him one step ahead of the law every time, until one mistake caused his arrest.

For reasons unknown, Jacob Shyster attempted to rob a small restaurant at a golf course, taking everyone inside as hostage.

That particular day, Anaheim's Mighty Ducks were making a promotional appearance within the vicinity. Upon learning that the place was under siege, the Ducks attempted a rescue attempt. One thing led to another and the player named "Nosedive" was the one that aided the most in apprehending the terrorist.

According to observations made by several wardens, Shyster had suddenly taking an interest to making duck sculptures and then pounding it to dust; A very unhealthy obsession and hobby.

"Seems more like a challenge," he told himself stroking his goatee. He stood up from behind his desk and walked to his office door. He opened it and poked his head into the hallway. He spotted one of the guards coming down, probably getting ready for a shift change.

"Officer Ramis?" the doctor called out, recognizing the seasoned prison guard.

"Yes, doc?" Dan Ramis responded.

"Please bring Jacob Shyster to my office."

Dan balked. "But, sir!"

Doctor Wagner raised a hand. "Don't worry about it. Just bring him here."

The guard nodded and walked towards the holding cells, muttering something all the way.

X

Grin mediated for about one second before checking Detroit's offensive line into the boards.

The thunderous roar of cheering fans could be heard throughout the arena.

Tanya skated right by, puck in her possession.

"Canard!" she shouted, before passing the puck to the team captain.

"Divert!" he shouted in return, skating towards the puck.

Through the corner of his eyes, Canard could see the defense rushing him. He was the first to reach the puck. . . and passed it.

Canard and one of the defensemen collided into each other and slammed into the floor.

Coming up from behind Canard, Nosedive got hold of the puck and darted through the opening that Canard had made for him.

He made a beeline for the goalie, the remaining defense line scrambling to reach him.

Fans jumped up, screaming in anticipation as the last seconds ticked down.

Nosedive swung his hockey stick, and the puck went sliding across the ice.

The Detroit goalie dropped to his knees.

But it was too late. The puck had gone past him.

Sirens blared as people jumped out of their seats. All of the Mighty Ducks' team skated to the center of the rink, raised their hockey sticks into the air, and shouted "Ducks rock!"

X

"And the Mighty Ducks win their first game of the season!" cheered the sports announcer.

Several inmates cheered at the announcement. A few grumbled as they handed off their wagers, in the form of cigarrettes and other small trinkets.

To the side stood another inmate, a bit shorter than the rest but well built. His dark skin grew taunt as he glared at the group. Then he resumed forming a shape out of the grey clay. The lump took a form of a head with a flat beak.

Another inmate passed by and took a look at it.

"Hey, Shy. . . you a fan of ducks?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Shyster glared at him. "I like to pound them," he said, as he suddenly swung his fist. A chuck of clay went hurtling through the air, landing at the feet of an elderly inmate.

The old man grinned. "Harold thinks that Shyster ain't no fan of hockey, nope nope, not at all, never was and never will be, heh heh!"

Inmates resting nearby just shook their heads.

X

Doctor Wagner glanced up as the man in his files was escorted into the room.

"Ah, Mister Shyster. . . " he greeted. "I'm glad you accepted to return for a second session."

Shyster remained silent as as the guard that had escorted him left the room. He then turned to the doctor. He stared for a moment, then sat down on the chair in front of the desk, hands on his lap, handcuffed. "So what kind of mind magic are you hoping to work on me, shrink," he said calmly.

Doctor Wagner frowned. "Er, well, I was hoping that maybe this time you'll have something to say. Last session you were just answering yes and no questions. I'd really like to get to know you and the only way if for you to trust me and open up."

Shyster suddenly flashed a grin. "And just what are you hoping I'd say to you?"

Doctor Wagner leaned back. "I'm curious about this current obsession with ducks? Do you have a fear of them, or a strong dislike?"

Shyster shook his head. "Oh, no. I don't give squat about ducks. But. . . "

Doctor Wagner leaned forward. "Yes. . ?"

"I'd rather not get into detail." Shyster frowned. "I know the kind of games your type plays. Like you said, you want me to trust you and treat you like a friend, while at the same time you dissect my every thought, trying to figure out what makes me the way I am. A little experiment to pass the time away. Playing head games. Well, you know what? I know how that works because I minored in psych back before heading off to the army. Doctor, I suggest you leave me alone, or you won't even live to regret it."

The doctor leaned back in surprise. "Mister Shyster, I doubt threatening me while you are confined will help your situation."

"I wouldn't say that," the former terrorist muttered with a smirk.

At that moment, the office door opened, causing the doctor to shift his eyes onto the intruder. Harold, the oldest inmate in the building, stood there, eyes blinking owlishly. "Whoops! Wrong room!"

Shyster took the opportunity to jump over the desk, hands reaching out for the doctor's throat. Both went crashing to the floor.

"Guards!" Harold croaked out, as loud as he could, blue eyes twinkling in mirth. "Guards, we have a fight, yes we do, between the doc and the big guy! Anyone want to take bets? I'd say the big guy will win."

Five men in uniforms swarmed into the office, brushing the old man to the side.

Harold laughed as he stepped out into the hall, shoving his fists into his pockets. He whistled as he shuffled down the hall.

Inside, the guards were attempting to haul Shyster away from the psychologist. Shyster struggled, and the room was in utter chaos. Everything became a mess.

A few minutes later, the guards had finally subdued the ex-terrorist. He was pinned to the floor by one of the larger guys. Among them was Dan Ramis.

He glared at the doctor who was currently sitting on the floor, glasses askew, bruises forming on his throat. "You guys always bite off more than you can chew," he told the doctor. He then ordered the others to take Shyster out.

X

"Maybe if we install a camera here," said Wildwing, pointing to a section on a diagram of the Pond.

Canard made a face. "Don't you think that you are being just a little paranoid? Next thing you know, you're going to install cameras in Dive's room!"

Nosedive snorted. "He already did!"

Wildwing gave a sheepish grin. "All right, I may be a tad over protective right now. . ."

Somewhere to the right, Duke snickered while Nosedive rolled his eyes and moved away from the two ducks. He plopped himself down on the couch that was currently occupied by Duke.

"He's just looking out for your well being, kid," said the older duck, a smirk on his face.

"Sheesh! Right now I think I'd rather face Dragaunus one on one than deal with Wing. Next thing you know, he'll stick me in a glass bubble!" Dive muttered.

"Wildwing!" Canard suddenly busted out, his voice taking a tone of annoyance. "Why don't you just stick the darn hatchling in a bubble?"

"You know, that's not a bad idea."

"Whaaahh!"

Duke howled in laughter as Nosedive's eyes nearly fell out of their sockets.

X

Doctor Wagner finished putting the last of his books back on the shelf. He looked around and sighed. The only thing that needed replacement was his lamp and the frame holding his diploma.

The office door opened.

"May I help you, Officer Ramis?" asked the doctor, as the guard stepped in.

Dan glanced around the room. "You haven't, by any chance, come across a set of keys, have you?"

Doctor Wagner shook his head. "No, I haven't."

"Mister Ramis," the heard a voice say. "Mister Ramis, mister officer, sir. I've got somethin's fer you, I've gots, yessiree!"

Both men turned around. There stood the same old inmate that had distracted the doctor long enough to have him attacked. In his hand was a set of keys.

"I believe these are yours cuz they sho' ain't mine, no keys allowed, nuh-uh, 'cept the library record holder keys. . ."

"That's enough, Harold," said Ramis, taking a hold of the keys. He frowned as he picked off something grey and sticky.

"Dropped it in me mush fo' food," grinned the old man. "Cleaned it up with muh spit!" He grinned proudly.

Ramis made a face.

X

Jacob Shyster lay on his back, staring at the Mighty Ducks poster on his wall. He reached for a small book laying on the sink basin beside his bunk. He opened it up.

Inside lay three small darts, resting comfortably in the hole he had carved out of the pages.

He pulled out a dart and flung it at the poster. It landed right between Nosedive's eyes. Multiple holes decorated his picture. The other ducks remained untouched.

The sound of squeaky wheels caught his attention. He sat up and saw Harold standing in front of his cell.

"Intr'sted in a book today? Got quite a selection, ya bet, quite a selection. Got yer fic, like this one 'bout alien panthers, or a fantasy world, or even one 'bout police officers but who wants that? But I also got some of them flaky self help books, like The Key to Finding Happiness. Strongly recommend it." He winked.

Shyster smirked and held out his hand. The book was passed over to him.

Once Harold moved away to another cell, Shyster flipped through the pages until a metal key fell out and landed on his bunk. With a wicked grin, he palmed the key and settled in for a pleasant nap.

X

"Aw, come on!"

"No," said WIldwing, as his little brother resorted to whining. "Neither Canard nor myself are free to accompany you. . ."

Nosedive interrupted with an exasperated sigh. "Look, bro. Ol' Lizard Lips hasn't tried anything yet, and besides, it's not like I'm going solo! Dukemiester said he'd be happy to tag along."

"That's not what I said," Duke muttered, while adjusting his saber to keep it hidden from public view. "I said 'I didn't mind you tagging along.'"

"Same thing," Nosedive quipped. "Bro, you can't just lock me up in here. It's illegal."

"Kid's got a point," added Canard. "Besides, with both Duke and Mallory with him, he's in more than just capable hands."

Nosedive flashed a triumphant grin. "See? Even the Cap thinks it's okay. And since he's the team leader, he gets the final word!"

"That's low," muttered Wildwing. He turned to Canard. "I just don't think. . ."

"Wildwing, baby birds gotta leave the nest sometime. He just needs to spread his wings. He'll come back. These two will make sure of that." Canard nodded over towards Duke and Mallory.

"Fine," said Wildwing, feeling a bit ganged up.

"Yes! You da duck!" crowed Nosedive, making Wildwing smile a bit. "You too, bro," Nosedive added.

Wildwing's smile fell a fraction.

Canard just shook his head, trying not to grin. "Just go before I throw you out."

Duke, Nosedive, and Mallory headed out.

Canard turned to Wildwing. "You'll see. Everything will be fine." He took a closer look. "Uh, is something wrong?"

"No," clipped Wildwing, before walking away.

Canard stared after him, puzzled by his friend's strange behavior.

X

"Mid day roll call!" one of the guards shouted, as inmates lined up in the courtyards. They each broke off into groups as several guards with electronic clip board walked near them, checking off prison numbers.

Several minutes later, one guard walked up to another. "Um, we seem to be missing a few inmates, sir."

"What do you mean?" the guard barked. "Have you checked the mess hall, the laundry mat, or the workshops?"

The officer nodded, looking a bit faint.

"Which ones?"

"We're determining that right now."

Their walkies made a small burst of static noise. "Warden, we have a situation. All missing inmates are Shyster and his gang."

X

"That's it, I quit," muttered Ramis, as Captain Klegghorn burst into the main office. For a short man, the captain was known to be extremely loud.

"Do you mean to tell me that Anaheim's, no, the continent's most dangerous felon and his entire gang escaped? Which of you slackers are in charge here?"

Ramis stepped forward. "I'm the Senior Warden here. And even though I wasn't on duty at the time, I will have to assume responsibility. We've already started an investigation. Unfortunately, this jail break seems to be my fault."

Klegghorn raised an eyebrow.

"I lost my keys during a scuffle with an inmate. I got them back within the same day from another inmate, one from before my time, named Harold. He's a harmless old geezer, but apparently plays dumb. He made a copy using a clay imprint of my key."

"We think he handed the key to Shyster, and their time of escape was approximately between 7 and 12," added another officer.

"Probably right after morning roll call."

"Any idea where he might be headed?"

Ramis glanced at another guard. "Uh, well, that's why we called you. We have reason to believe that he is after one of the Mighty Ducks."

Klegghorn blinked. "Oh, really? Why is that?" he asked, fearing the answer.

Ramis picked up a sheet that had been rolled up. He unrolled it and held it for Klegghorn to see.

Klegghorn closed his eyes as a migraine began to grow. He turned to the nearest officer next to him. "Get a squad out to the pond, and someone get a hold of Phil Palmfeather." Officers began to run around. "And while you're at it, get me a bottle of antacids!"

Klegghorn looked at the poster in Ramis's hands. Nosedive's face had been burned away.

X

Nosedive mindlessly chatted away, while his beak was in his newest comic book and walking at the same time.

Duke looked at him in morbid fascination as Nosedive managed to navigate his way through the crowd with barely a glance. It was almost as if he had imprinted the whole lay out of the mall in his mind.

"Like, maybe we can also check out the new Tormentor 4 movie later, too. Hah! This guy cracks me up. . ."

"You know," commented Mallory. "If you pay really close attention, you can occasionally pick out some coherent conversations in there instead of ramblings."

Nosedive lowered the book long enough to give her a look. Then he raised it up again. "What can I say? I'm a genius. My mouth just can't keep up with how fast I think. . ."

Mallory smirked as she entered a shop. Nosedive trailed in after her, still talking.

Duke stopped and leaned against the outside of the shop, nodding at a trio of young women giggling as they entered the store. A moment later, Nosedive shot out the front door, his face slightly red.

Duke started laughing.

Nosedive glared at him. "Man, you could have given me a warning," he sputtered, glancing at the store's name.

Emblazed in hot neon pink letters was Sassy Secrets Lingerie.

Nosedive leaned up against the glass window next to Duke, arms crossed. The older duck was leaning forward, holding his stomach, tears of laughter streaming down his face.

Nosedive ignored him.

X

An Asian man adjusted the shoulder strap to feel more comfortable. "Now that we're out of that place, what's our first move?" he asked, glancing at Shyster.

Shyster sharpened his knife. "First we find the alien invader that put us in jail in the first place, then we move on and get some finances."

"Sounds like a plan," said another one of the gang. "But, where do we find him?"

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," said a female voice.

Shyster whirled around. "You!"

Before him stood Nightbloom, holding her head up, eyes cold and distant.

"You're the one that paid me to hit that restaurant in the first place!"

"And your capture was failure on your part. No matter. I ended up with a satisfactory result. But as a consolation, I will give you the whereabouts of one blond duck. . ."

Shyster grinned. "Do tell. . ."

X

Wildwing sighed as he turned off Drake 1. After spending an unbelievable amount of time with Phil discussing the next place to do a bit of PR -at least the man was giving them a choice this time- Wildwing had spend the next hour going through Drake 1 trying to see if there were at least any minor disturbances that had a taste of Dragaunus on it.

So far there was nothing, which bothered him immensely. He knew that the Saurian was out there, biding his time. And the waiting was getting to him.

"Maybe I should just meditate like Grin," he finally muttered.

At that moment, his com unit buzzed.

"Wildwing," he answered.

"It's Klegghorn," came the reply. "We've got a situation."

"What kind?" asked Wildwing, fearing that something had happened to his little brother.

"There's been a break out at the Maximum Security. Shyster and his entire gang have escaped."

"Shyster?" For a moment, Wildwing blanked out.

"The terrorist the kid helped catch. He made some threats on his way to the cruiser, and apparently still harbors some extreme resentment against the kid."

Wildwing thought he felt his heart stop. "When did he escape?"

"This morning."

"So he could be anywhere nearby."

Klegghorn nodded.

"Thanks for the heads up," Wildwing said numbly.

Klegghorn switched off, as did Wildwing. He shook his head an immediately tried to contact Nosedive through his tele-com unit. All he got was static.

X

The local park in Anaheim was having both a carnival and a public display of scientific gadgets. There was a tornado simulator, an astronaut chair, and even a sensory deprivation tank.

Mallory grumbled as she struggled to get her hair back in order. "I don't understand how yours just falls right back into place," she said, shooting a look at Duke.

"It's all that gel," quipped Nosedive.

Mallory fought back a laugh as Nosedive approached them, his hair fizzed out.

"Those things are like so cool, I think even my feathers are standing on end." He glanced back to where some human girl was placing her hand on a metal ball. Almost instantly, her hair began to rise. She reached out to the younger boy next to her and touched his bare arm. The boy yelped and went running to a woman.

"MMOOOOMMMM! LINDSEY SHOCKED MEEEEEE!" he hollered.

Duke chuckled, and then frowned. "Yeah, but I hope that thing didn't completely fry our com units." He tapped his.

"I really doubt they tried contacting us at that precise moment," said Mallory.

"Well, mine seems to be working again," said Nosedive.

Their com-units beeped simultaneously.

Nosedive glanced at the screen and saw his brother. "Yo, bro! What's the buzz?"

"Dive! What happened with your com units?"

" Nothing 'cept for a bit of an electrical surge? Why?"

"Never mind. Get back. . ."

A loud explosion drowned out the rest of his statement.

X

Wildwing stared at the screen as his communication was suddenly cut off. "Dive? Dive! Duke! Mallory! Will one of you answer me?"

"I got the reading of where they were before we lost visual with them," said Tanya, staring at the computer screen inside the Migrator.

Up at the controls sat Canard and Wildwing.

"What was their last position?" asked Canard.

"North east corner of Anaheim Park."

Canard glanced at Wildwing.

"Already on my way," said the other duck, making a U-turn.

X

Nosedive peered from over some bushes. "Man, my com-unit is really screwed over this time."

"Same here," said Duke, standing behind a tree.

"Those explosive charges aren't exactly available to the public," said Mallory. "Those are more like military issued."

"Government's after us? Man! Which one of you lied on their income reports?"

"Don't look at me."

Mallory crawled over to Nosedive. "Any sign of who made that blast?"

Nosedive shook his head. "People were everywhere and all I saw was dirt."

Everything was currently quiet. There was a large crater not far from where they had been originally standing. Grass had been trampled on and trash was strewn everywhere. Abandoned snack wagons were scattered through the pathways. The sun was getting ready to set, causing the trees to cast long shadows.

Duke squinted. "If they are on that side, they have us to a disadvantage. This sun is blinding me!"

Mallory glanced around. "If we head to the rides and games section, we'll have more of a chance to give ourselves cover."

"Great idea, Mal," said Nosedive, before crouching down really low. "Shall we cover each other? I'll go first."

Mallory nodded, and held out her puck blaster. If there was someone out there, she hoped she could spot him before it was too late.

X

Hidden behind one of the ice cream wagons, Shyster reloaded his miniature bomb launcher. Holding out a small mirror, he spotted Nosedive dashing from behind the bushes, heading to the carnival section. He could also see the other two ducks "covering" him.

"Just like shooting ducks in a barrel," he muttered, aiming his launcher at the moving target. Then he paused. "No. I'd rather see his eyes when he breathes his last." He picked up a small stone and threw it at one of his other men, who was currently behind a trash can.

The asian man looked up.

Shyster put his fists together and then made a breaking away motion.

The Asian man nodded.

The red headed duck began to move. Halfway to the carnival, two of Shyster's men began to fire.

The remaining duck fired back while the girl dashed behind one of the game booths.

Shyster grinned. Now the game was about to start.

X

Mallory let out a curse as she landed on a basket full of soft balls. She tumbled to the floor. As she stood up, she began firing at the direction of the gun shots, hoping to give Duke enough cover to get his tail over.

She spotted something dashing towards her.

"Move!" she heard Duke yell.

Mallory jumped back as Duke sailed over the booth's counter and rolled on the floor.

"Where's Dive?" he asked.

"I don't know," she said.

The sounds of more gun fire caught their attention.

"I think I know where he might be."

"Duke, I think we're surrounded."

X

Nosedive was sitting behind one of the dunk tanks when the first round of gunshots were heard. He could hear Mallory curse from a distance. He peered around the edge, trying to spot her.

A small stream of water fell on his head, startling him. Nosedive looked up and saw that a small hole had appeared on the glass just three inches from where his head was. Another hole appeared and a small crack was heard. One second later, the glass cracked and the water poured out.

Nosedive let out a yelp as the water pushed him away from Mallory. A couple of seconds later, he stood up, drenched.

From the corner of his eyes he spotted two figures. Without a second of hesitation, he ran towards a House of Mirrors.

Bullet's flew.

X

The Migrator screeched to a halt.

Wildwing was the first one out. People were still streaming out of the park, and gun shots could be heard from the distance.

"Someone call the police!" one woman was screaming. Several cells were already out as people were talking about the "massacre" going on at the park.

Wildwing and Canard glanced at each other.

"Tanya, you're with me!" shouted Wildwing, as Canard glanced at Grin. The larger duck nodded and went with the team captain.

Both of them split, hoping to surround whoever was holding their comrades captive.

X

Nosedive gasped as a large figure loomed over him. A split second later, he realized that it was only his reflection off of a distorted mirror. He could here someone approaching him from behind.

"Here, ducky ducky," he heard, and for a moment, he froze in fear.

"Shyster," he whispered, recognizing that voice. He immediately thought back to the threats the man had shouted as he was being led away.

Nosedive walked even faster, peering behind his back every so often, puck blaster in hand. As he was walking, he noticed little purple arrows painted on the sides of some mirrors. They were low, as if a small child had drawn them.

Nosedive grinned as he kneeled down to get a better look. "Thank goodness for little tykes," he said, touching one of the arrows that had been initialed "FN." He stood up and began running down in the directions that each arrow pointed.

Up ahead, Nosedive could make out the light of the exit.

A frustrated scream was soon heard.

Nosedive grinned, and then ducked as glass began exploding everywhere.

"Stay where you are so I can kill you!" he heard Shyster yell.

"I don't think so," said Nosedive, diving towards the exit. He skidded out the door and landed into someone.

A large hand landed on his shoulder.

"Let me go!" shouted Nosedive.

"Relax, little bud," he heard a deep voice say.

"Grin?"

"Are you all right, kid?" Canard asked.

Nosedive nodded. "That loony terrorist is right behind me though!"

Canard drew out his puck blaster and aimed for the exit.

X

Shyster silently cursed as he checked the wounds on his arms. He had been standing too close to one of the mirrors and the chips of glass had flung back, scratching his arm.

Up ahead, he could hear the wretched duck making his escape. A few moments later, he heard voices.

Shyster narrowed his eyes. There would be no way that duck would make it through the day alive. He would make sure of that. As silently as he could, Shyster backed away and retraced his steps towards the front of the mirror fun house.

X

Mallory and Duke fired some puck blaster and then took off from their hiding place. Each one ran separate ways, hoping to be able to take out each guy separately.

Mallory ran towards the game booths sections.

She ducked under one of the tents, finding herself with cross bows. _This is going to be a snap_, she thought to herself, as she grabbed one. She slowly peered over the edge, spotting her follower and tracked his movements.

She slowly aimed the crossbow, remembering last minute to attempt zero collateral damage. Even if it was the bad guy.

Up ahead, Shyster's man slowed down, stopping by one of the booths. He peered over the edge and spotted nothing.

A split second later, a whirring sound caught his attention, and he found his arm immoblized against the wooden counter. Another arrow caught his shirt from his back, pinning his waist to the counter as well.

He only had time to yell before he saw the red haired duck come down on him, feet towards his face.

X

Duke leapt onto the Merry-go-round, using the wooden horses as shields. He nearly lost his balance as the ground beneath him lurched to one side. The carousel had begun to spin.

Someone jumped on board as well, and started firing. Duke tried running back but had to duck as more bullets flew from outside of the ride.

"You're gonna end up shooting me!" he heard the other guy shout. "Get on board and we'll get him from both sides!"

_Great,_ thought Duke.

X

Wildwing and Tanya came to a stop as they spotted one of Shyster's men pulling on a lever. A bit further ahead, they saw Duke trying to regain his balance as the merry-go-round he was on started to spin.

The man by the lever started firing, but stopped at the orders of his partner that was on board the same ride.

Wildwing tackled the man as he started to head over to the carousel.

"Not so fast!" said Wildwing, as both of them landed on the floor. "Tanya, stop the carousel."

"Right!" said Tanya, running for the lever.

"Off of me, Duck!" the man growled, twisting around and throwing a punch to Wildwing's face.

Wildwing pulled his head back, only to lose his grip on the man. The terrorist wriggled free and scrambled up, bringing up his weapon to fire at the white avian.

Wildwing instinctively kicked out, sending the man's gun into the air, leaving him weaponless.

"Got it!" he heard Tanya yell.

The man let out a roar of anger as he rushed Wildwing, arms swinging.

Wildwing dodged a few blows as he threw a punch upward, catching the man underneath the ribs.

With a whoosh of air, the attacker fell back, trying to regain his breath. Tanya moved out of his way.

He leaned up against the Merry-Go-Round's lever, causing it to push back even further and break off.

Wildwing quickly looked in the direction of the Merry-Go-Round and felt sick.

The ride was picking up speed.

X

Duke only had time to glance to his left and see that Wildwing and Tanya had arrived to keep the second man from joining his partner. After that he had to duck down behind a pink unicorn.

Shots kept coming from a dragon.

Duke adjusted his puck blaster to fire the pucks as bolas. Hopefully the pucks would wrap around the bad guy and the pole, trapping him.

Of course, shooting on a moving platform that was going in circles was going to be tricky.

As luck would have it, Duke felt the ride slowing down.

Duke aimed and got ready to fire.

Then he heard a metallic clunk and the ride began to spin faster.

Duke fell forward with the jolt as his attacker sprawled onto his back.

"What are they doing?" he asked himself out loud, trying to stand up. He slowly felt his body being pulled towards the outside as the scene around him began to blur considerably.

The only thing he could see clearly was the horse he was holding onto and the wooden dragon that the other guy was trying to grab.

The man pulled himself up with one hand, using his leg to hold onto the bar from under the dragon. He raised his other arm, gun in hand.

"Oh, holy asteroids," Duke muttered, realizing that he had lost his puck blaster in the fall. "What do I do now?"

Duke pulled out his saber, unsure of just what he could accomplish with it. He glanced down at the horse and grinned. He cut down on the fake saddle grip, sending it flying towards the terrorist.

The gun flew out of his hand and off the Merry-Go-Round.

At the same time the man lost his grip and went rolling to the edge. At the last moment, he grabbed to the bottom of a pole as his feet swung out to the outside.

"Help me!" he screamed, as the velocity had picked up to the point of sending them almost flying.

"Oh, for the love of hockey," muttered Duke, as he slowly lowered himself closer to the floor. He tried to ignore the dizziness that was building up in his head as he moved from horse to unicorn, pole to pole, making his way to the terrorist.

"You're lucky I'm one of the good guys," he muttered, sheathing his saber. "I have half the mind to just let you go flying like a discus and see just how far you land."

Duke slowly slid across the floor, reaching for the man. His feet felt like lead, and his hand felt as if it were ready to just fly off.

"I can't reach," yelled the man.

"You are not even trying," growled Duke, stretching further.

The terrorist grabbed his hand and tried to pull himself back up.

Duke wrapped his legs around the pole to use both hands.

The man grabbed them both and pulled himself back up.

The man grabbed a pole with his arm. "You should have let me fall," said the man, pulling out a stun gun with the other hand.

Duke just stared.

X

"Hurry, Tanya!" shouted Wildwing, as he tied up his prisoner.

"I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!" said Tanya, as she used her omni tool to weld the broken lever back together.

Wildwing kept glancing at the out of control Merry Go Round. He could see that both Duke and the terrorist were having trouble staying on their feet.

Smoke began to flow out from underneath.

"I'm not gonna get his fixed in time!" shouted Tanya.

Wildwing brought up the com unit to his face. "Grin! We need you at the Merry-Go-Round!"

Tanya gasped as she spotted a figure almost fall out of the ride.

"He needs to hurry," she said.

Just a few moments later, Grin, Canard, and Nosedive arrived.

"Nosedive!" shouted Wildwing.

"Bro, am I glad to see you!" said Nosedive.

"We need to stop that ride," Wildwing said.

"Think you can do it?" Canard asked Grin.

"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it," Grin said.

"Er. . . is that a yes?"

"I'll most certainly give it a whirl."

Grin stepped up to the Merry-Go-Round and braced himself. He reached out and latched onto one of the other bars. The velocity of the ride dragged him in circles as well, but he put his feet down, digging them into the ground.

The smoke turned grey as the sounds of metal screeching against metal grew louder. The carousel tipped to one side as wooden horses flew, crashing to the floor.

X

Duke cursed at himself for not letting the terrorist become a human discus. He closed his eyes, waiting for the electric jolt to course through his body. At the speed they were going, he would have no time to jump up and try to grab his saber.

At that moment, the floor lurched again, this time vertically. He and the terrorist went tumbling down, along with some of the wooden horses and unicorns that had gotten loose from up top.

A split second later, he landed in a pair of strong arms.

Duke stared up at three spinning heads of Grin.

"How do you feel?" he heard Grin ask.

"Put me down," responded Duke. "I think I'm gonna hurl."

X

Grin used one of the belt straps to tie the guy down.

"Glad you could join us," said Canard, as he spotted Mallory jogging towards them.

"I've got another one tied up to the kiddie games."

"Shyster is still out there, man," said Nosedive, looking around.

"You didn't find him?" Wildwing asked, looking at Canard.

"He was after the kid, but you called Grin. Since Shyster didn't show up through the exit, and this sounded pretty urgent, we came here instead."

"So Shyster might be nearby?" Wildwing asked, looking around.

"We could always draw him out," offered Nosedive.

"No," said Wildwing.

"Why not?" Nosedive asked, a bit angry. "I caught the guy once before, don't you trust me?"

"It's not that. . ." started Wildwing.

"It's just that it's too risky," said Canard. Wildwing nodded in agreement. "But," continued Canard. "If you're really up to it, all we need is one good plan to minimize the potential foul ups that could occur."

Nosedive beamed while Wildwing glowered.

X

Shyster ducked behind one of the ticket booths. He had already come across one of his team members, unconscious and tied up to a crossbow shooter's game. He had the sinking feeling that a similar fate occurred to the rest of his team.

He heard a soft shuffling sound and stopped. He peered around the edge of the ticket booth and grinned in triumph.

X

Nosedive held out his puck blaster, suddenly wishing himself back at the Pond, nice and safe, reading a good comic, and chowing down on some sort of fast food product. Anything.

"Okay, keep an eye out, spot him, and call for help. That's all I have to do," he muttered to himself.

He looked around and gulped. Never had a carnival seemed so . . . scary.

All the game booths were packed next to each other, to the point of causing claustrophobia. He slowly stepped between them, sweeping the area with his eyes. Each way he turned, the setting sun cast spooky shadows.

"Where are the police?" he asked himself, straining to hear any sort of siren.

So far all he heard was silence.

"Okay, Dive old buddy old pal, " he murmured to himself. "It's all nice and simple. Just find the bad guy and report. No need to actually engage in com. . ."

A loud click sounded in his ear as he crouched beside a ticket booth.

"...bat," he finished, as a metal barrel touched the side of his head.

Nosedive slowly put down his puck blaster and stood up.

"Where are your friends?" Shyster asked him menacingly.

"Around, looking for you," responded Nosedive calmly, even though his heart was threatening to pump right out of his chest.

"Step out then. You are my ticket out of here."

Both Nosedive and Shyster tensed as the sounds of sirens began approaching.

_Oh, great_, thought Nosedive. _Now they show, at the worst possible time._

"Move," ordered Shyster, pushing his gun into the back of Nosedive's head.

"Moving," said Nosedive, holding his hands up and stepping forward. "You know, for a veteran terrorist, you sure aren't smart," he suddenly said. "I mean, yeah, here you have me in front of you like a shield, but what about your back? I mean, what's to say that some of my team mates aren't behind you, getting ready to shoot."

"Shut up," growled Shyster, glancing around. "One wrong step and all the matter that fills up your skull will be splattered over all these booths."

"You certainly know how to paint a rosy picture."

Suddenly there was a flare of light, soaring over them.

Nosedive ducked as Shyster glanced upward, momentarily distracted.

Directly up ahead, Mallory lowered her own blaster and fired. A puck slammed into Shyster's chest, knocking him back a few feet, slamming into a make shift pool with rubber frogs.

Grin emerged from behind and tipped the pool over, trapping Shyster underneath.

"Let me go!" he yelled.

Canard and Wildwing emerged from behind two separate game booths.

"Well," said Canard. "That went better than expected."

"Except Nosedive wasn't actually suppose to get caught!" argued Wildwing.

"Yeah, well the kid has proven himself that he can take control of any situation," commented Canard.

Nosedive grinned, surprised by Canard's approval.

Tanya and Duke stepped forward.

"Uh, sorry about not firing the flare in time," said Tanya.

"It jammed on us," added Duke.

"At least you got it unstuck," said Canard.

Tanya and Duke stared at him. "We thought one of you guys did it."

"What do you mean?" asked Wildwing.

"It's still jammed," said Duke, holding out the flare gun.

"Grin?" asked Canard.

Grin shook his head.

"Wasn't me, neither," said Mallory, as Wildwing turned to her.

Nosedive looked faint.

Canard and Wildwing just looked at each other as the Anaheim police form finally arrived.

X

Chameleon shrieked in fear as he ran out of Nightbloom's temporary room, covering his head as flares shot around him.

Nightbloom slowly walked out with her arm extended, a small fireball floating above her palm, eyes glittering dangerously as the small Saurian joined up with his colleagues.

"I don't know what you are looking for," she said in a calm, yet deadly voice. "But know this. If I catch you searching through my personal items, I will find a spell to transform you into ducks and roast you." She walked back into the room.

"I don't know about you," said Chameleon, as he patted out a flame from on top of his head. "But I think she was furious."

**In the Next Episode of Mighty Ducks. . .**

Wildwing stared for a few more moments, watching Canard and Nosedive acting amicably towards each other. He then walked off in anger.

Duke watched him leave, finding himself worried for his friend.

X

Canard smiled at Wildwing. "The kid is acting much like his older self, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know," replied Wildwing, a bit tightly, as he walked away from his team captain.

Canard stared after him, baffled by Wing's behavior.

X

""I just don't think he can handle a confrontation with Dragaunus," snarled Wildwing, vehemently.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute!" interrupted Nosedive, making a time out motion with his hands. "Don't you think that's my call?"

Both brothers glared at each other.


	4. Ep 3: Jealousy

A/N: Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series and its canon characters are property of Disney and its affiliates. This is solely for entertainment purposes.

**Jealousy**

The sun was rising over the city of Anaheim, casting a cheery red glow to everything it touched. Most adults were getting ready for work, inhaling bagels and coffee. Morning people were ready for a new day while the rest of the population cursed them.

Normally Nosedive was one of the latter people. Today, however, he found himself skating, hockey stick in hand, around the rink long before the sun began to brighten the sky.

It was the perfect time to skate in peace without being hounded by his older brother.

So far it seemed that Canard had kept his promise about not telling Wildwing of his nightmares. They were no longer frightening to the point of waking up drenched in sweat, but they still bothered him.

Some of them were just weird. A few times he saw himself as a little toddler Saurian, calling out to Dragaunus to pick him up.

In those dreams, Dragaunus seemed almost nice, smiling proudly as Nosedive was picked up and tossed into the air.

But those "pleasant" dreams always took a turn for the bad, as he grew up quickly into his own self.

Dragaunus would rant about the betrayal and the look in his eyes always tore at Nosedive's heart.

He felt like a failure and disappointment.

Completely ludicrous.

And yet. . .

And yet that was how he had felt when Dragaunus was led away by Klegghorn's men.

Just how was he going to explain that to his brother if he found out?

Stockholm syndrome, he tried to explain to himself. But something like that only made sense when you were reading it from a book.

Occasionally his dreams were more like glances or memories, always vague and quick. The only ones clear were of those in which Dragaunus paid him a compliment, treated his with respect, and most importantly, showed faith in his abilities.

Nosedive skidded to a stop.

There was the reason.

He liked being relied upon. He liked knowing that someone had so much faith in him. And consequently, that feeling was what drove the need to go out and accomplish the task, no matter how hard it would be.

Nosedive began to skate again, hoping to clear his troubled mind.

Wildwing and the others never gave him such faith. It was even worse now. They all danced around him as if they were afraid he would break. Put up a happy front no matter what.

At least Canard was trying to give him more confidence. It was an interesting change of pace.

He stopped one more time, in front of the goalie's net. For the longest time, it had always been Wildwing and himself.

Then the invasion had come, and their twosome became a team of seven, and then six. When Canard came back, Nosedive felt as if Wildwing were pulling away, leaving him to fend for himself from Canard.

That led up to his capture and transformation by Lord Dragaunus.

Nosedive shuddered. As Darkflame, he had done everything possible to make the Saurian happy, except for one thing. . .

He failed to shoot Wildwing when he was the most defenseless.

There was a shady figure that wanted him dead as punishment. But Dragaunus intervened, keeping him alive.

The fact that Nosedive later betrayed him made him feel worse.

But being home with his brother and friends. . .

Nosedive cursed silently. No matter what he thought, he wasn't truly happy. And the fact that he missed Dragaunus and the way he treated him scared him.

"Heads up," he heard a voice call out.

Nosedive's mind snapped back into reality, in time to see several pucks headed his way.

Without a second though, Nosedive raised his hockey stick and shot them all back. He stopped another one with his right skate.

Nosedive stood there panting at the sudden exertion, eyes wide.

An applauding sound caught his attention. A few yards ahead stood Canard, an amused expression on his face.

"You could have hit me!" Nosedive shouted, angry at himself for not hearing Canard approach.

"Just needed to test your reflexes," replied the tan duck, skating up to Nosedive. "With a bit more practice, I think you can do just as well as Wildwing."

"Really?" asked Nosedive, interest replacing his anger.

Canard nodded. "You blocked those shots on pure instinct."

"I did, didn't I?" Nosedive asked, realization dawning on his face.

Canard grinned. "If you'd like to, we can get started today, right now."

"Right now?" Nosedive repeated, a touch of insecurity tainting his voice.

"Unless you're chicken," Canard baited, an arrogant look on his face.

Determination flashed across Nosedive's face. "Am not," he growled.

X

Duke watched the news as he sipped on his hot cup of latte. He smiled at the pleasant taste.

"Weren't you suppose to be practicing for the game?" he heard Wildwing ask.

"I've still got an hour," Duke replied, not wanting to relinquish his hold of the caffeinated drink.

"You're getting to be as bad as Nosedive," Wildwing commented, a smile on his bill.

"On the contrary," Duke replied. "I've become enlightened on how annoying early birds are."

"Tanya in her labs again?"

Duke shook his head. "I heard someone prowling early morning, around five, I think. But it wasn't Tanya. She got up at six thirty."

Wildwing furrowed his eyebrows. "Maybe it was Canard."

Duke stood up. "If that's the case, he'll probably be coming to get us." Duke sighed. "Might as well join him on the ice."

A few minutes later, both ducks entered the arena and paused.

Nosedive was out on the rink, decked out in goalie equipment. Canard was standing in the middle of the rink, rapidly shooting pucks across the ice.

Duke watched in amazement as the younger duck blocked just about every shot.

Canard stopped shooting when he ran out of pucks. He rested up against his hockey stick.

"Well done," he said, slightly out of breath.

Nosedive yanked his head gear off, hair plastered to his face. "Wow," was all he said before letting himself drop to the floor. "This sure brings back some memories."

Canard grinned. "No, you just fell out of shape with all those triple spicy burritos."

"It's good food!"

Canard chuckled as Nosedive then proceeded to lay flat on the ice.

"Whew, wake me when the game is over. I think I'd be able to block a few shots just lying here."

Up near the penalty box, Duke turned to Wildwing. "Kid's not bad," he commented, knowing that Wing would be proud of his brother's accomplishments. To his surprise, Wildwing showed anything but pride. It was a look he had never seen on his former team captain.

"Yeah," Wildwing commented, sounding almost insincere.

Down below, Canard was prodding Nosedive with the hockey stick.

Nosedive continued to play dead, despite the growing grin on his face.

"Your hair is going to freeze into the ice, hatchling," Canard warned. Then he poked Nosedive in the ribs, causing the young male to curl up with a short laugh. "So that's the spot!" he said with an evil grin.

"No, no!" cried Nosedive, scrambling to get away.

Wildwing stared for a few moments, observing Canard and Nosedive acting amicably towards each other. In fact, they were behaving the same way he and Nosedive use to act when they were back home in Puckworld.

He suddenly turned away in anger and walked off, leaving a confused Duke behind.

Duke watched his friend leave, concern etched on his face.

X

Grin checked Duke into the boards as Nosedive caught the puck and skated towards Mallory. He shot past her right and headed straight for Wildwing.

Wildwing tensed up while Grin and Mallory attempted to catch up to Nosedive.

But the young duck was fast approaching the goal. He swung hard and sent the puck through the air.

Wildwing reached up and caught it in his glove. He dropped it to the floor and sent it back across the ice.

Mallory swept it up and headed to the goal on the opposite end.

Tanya was guarding the post.

Mallory swung her stick and the puck slid along the floor.

Tanya stopped it with her hockey stick and sent it back to Duke.

Duke skated forward and passed the puck to Nosedive. Nosedive shot it once again at Wildwing. The puck hit the top corner, bounced off of Wildwing's shoulder, and fell into the net as Canard blew on a whistle.

"Time!" he shouted, stopping his timer. "Nice shot, Dive," he commented. "Not bad, Tanya. Only two shots got past you. Mallory, Grin, you two should have scored more since Tanya hasn't had that much experience in goal tending."

"Ah, well," stammered Tanya, a faint blush on her cheeks. "Nosedive and Duke kept them away from me. Other wise I'm sure they would have scored more."

"Ever so modest," Canard said with a chuckle. "But you're probably right. Being a goalie needs not only skill but instinct as well. Some folks have it, others don't. Take Wildwing, for example. It's as if he can predict where those shots are going."

Wildwing gave him a small smile and a curt nod.

"Except for that last one. Dive is about as unpredictable as they can get."

Nosedive grinned proudly.

"Still. . . "

Nosedive deflated.

"You team lost, so twenty laps."

Tanya, Duke, and Nosedive groaned in unison as they dropped their hockey gear and began to skate around to rink.

Wildwing watched Nosedive and Duke bicker playfully over who missed more shots. They even tried to get Tanya to take sides.

He sighed and skated off the rink.

X

"Are you ready for tonights's game?" Canard asked, as Wildwing checked over his goalie's equipment.

"I'm ready," replied Wildwing, a bit tense.

Canard stared at his friend. Something was wrong with him, but seemed unwilling to talk. And that bothered Canard.

Over the past year, he had learned his own weakness in listening to others. Despite that, Wildwing always spoke to him over any matter, and the sudden silent treatment was awkward to say the least.

Canard quickly wracked his brain, trying to think of anything he might have said or done to offend Wildwing. At the moment, his mind came up blank.

So Canard just nodded and left Wildwing to his won.

Wildwing was one of the most level headed being Canard had met. Surely he would talk when he was ready.

X

"Good evening folks, coming to you live from the Pond. Tonight's game features the Mighty Ducks versus the Kodiak Bears! We're in for a tough second game but the Ducks will surely bring us to victory!"

X

Nosedive sat tensely by the sidelines while Canard played his normal spot. The Kodiak Bears had some new players and they were playing viciously.

First period and the score was 5 to 3 in favor of the opposing team.

Duke was looking pretty angry, having been checked against the boards more times than necessary. But he kept his cool, and didn't retaliate against the goons. That, of course, put them in an advantage as opposing team players were sent to the penalty box.

Wildwing looked frustrated as well, despite the mask covering his face.

Mallory and Tanya were verbally annoyed to say the least.

Even Grin cursed a bit as one of the forwards fouled him.

Nosedive glanced at the time and saw that period one was almost over. He was itching to play and score some goals. He only hoped to avoid the bruises Duke seemed to be getting.

The period ended and people rushed out of their seats to get more refreshments. The ducks met in a huddle, exhausted.

"You ready?" Canard asked Nosedive.

"You bet," replied the young duck.

Duke sighed in relief. "Good luck, kid," he said. "And watch out for number ten. He packs a mean body slam."

Nosedive nodded once.

X

As period two started, Nosedive shot the puck to Canard and skated forward. Within the first minute, Nosedive brought up the score by one point.

The Bears immediately had three men on him.

_Smart move_, he thought, frustrated that he couldn't keep the puck long enough to send it to the opposite end. So he resorted to playing a bit more defensively.

As one of the Bears broke his way past Grin and Tanya, Nosedive scrambled to catch up to him.

Canard lagged behind, across the rink.

Nosedive swooped in front of his opponent and swiped the puck away. He quickly made a break away towards the goal.

As the two defensemen came charging at him, Nosedive passed the puck back to Mallory and dodged the enforcers.

Mallory, in the meantime, passed it to Canard.

Nosedive reached the goal as Canard swung hard.

The goalie lunged towards the puck as it ricocheted off of the side post and towards Nosedive.

Nosedive scored another goal, bringing up the score to a tie.

Canard nodded his approval before motioning for Nosedive to watch out.

Nosedive nodded in return, aware of the evil eye the opposing team was giving him.

This time the Kodiak Bears gained possession of the puck and they raced towards Wildwing.

The left side forward took a shot and was checked into the board by Tanya.

Wildwing blocked the shot and Nosedive picked it up. He passed it all the way to Canard and raced forward to be in scoring position.

Both defensemen were practically on top of him.

Canard shot the puck towards Nosedive, but it was intercepted by Mallory who made the shot.

Anaheim fans went wild as the score changed to 6 to 5, in favor of the Mighty Ducks.

The Kodiak Bears looked furious.

Nosedive skated past their goalie, making the shape of an "L" on his forehead.

"Quit taunting the losers," he heard Canard say.

X

Nosedive sat on the ice, stunned, as Duke scored the final goal.

A split second later, the siren sounded, signaling the end of the game.

"You okay?" he heard Wildwing ask.

"I think so," Nosedive replied, getting up and gingerly rubbing his bottom side.

"I think you left an imprint on the ice," cracked Mallory, skating up to them.

Nosedive shook his head.

"Well, that was another fine example of use of excessive force," added Duke.

"Great game," Canard shouted, heading towards them. "Told you to watch out for them."

X

"And the score was an astonishing nine to six, the Mighty Ducks winning the game. Let me tell you, tonight there were some great plays.

"Before we've always prided in what a great team we had, but now it's even better.

"Wildwing continues to be an excellent factor in keeping goals scored against them down, usually helping in shut out games. Tanya and Grin also contribute to that minimizing the number of times players break through to go one on one against Wildwing.

"As for our scorers, Mallory is excellent in assisting goals, and Nosedive and Duke use to be the leading ones in goals. On top of that, they now play both defensively and offensively, adding great strategy to the game.

"But now the leading duo has Nosedive teamed up with the team captain, Canard. Together they scored the total of five goals which insured victory. People of Anaheim, sand tall. The Incredible Duo, as they've been dubbed by fans, will bring in our victories and insure the Stanley Cup. Complimenting each other so perfectly, it's amazing they aren't related. . ."

X

Phil turned off the television and turned around. "You guys are the greatest!" he said,

"Thank you, thank you," said Nosedive, bowing low.

"Man," said Duke. "It feels great beating them down after the beating they were giving us."

"I'll say," added Mallory. "I'm going in for a nice long hot soak in the tub."

"I second the notion," added Tanya. "A warm bath sounds really, really, nice."

"Bathing is but a luxury. . . one that I really want to enjoy," agreed Grin.

"Want to go for ice cream?" Wildwing asked Nosedive, smiling fondly at his little brother.

"Can we really?" asked Nosedive.

Wildwing nodded.

"Yes!" crowed Nosedive. "Yo, Canard! Wanna join Wing and me for ice cream?"

Wildwing's smile wavered a bit.

"Sure," agreed Canard, taking off his mask.

X

"Man, I haven't had ice cream for a while. I'm going to have one of the Grande Sundae's with scoops of Peanut Butter Scotch, Rocky Road, Hazel Nut Latte, Mint Chocolate. . ."

Canard stared at Nosedive in disbelief as the younger duck continued to rattle of some familiar flavors and a few odd ones.

"Where does it all go?" he asked aloud.

Wildwing gave him a half hearted smile.

"I'm a growing duck!" retorted Nosedive.

"Careful or you'll be growing around the waistband."

"Har de har har. You're just jealous of my high metabolism!"

X

Wildwing picked at his half eaten sundae, swirling around the melting ice cream.

Beside him was a huge dish with a cherry stem in it. Across from his sat Canard, finishing up his ice cream.

"I never realized how good Chewy Gooey Ooey Carmel Marshmallow Puffs ice cream could taste," said Canard, a bemused expression on his face.

He glanced towards the arcade room where Dive and some human kid were trying to sabotage one another on the game they were playing.

Nosedive played dirty and knocked the kid's baseball cap over his eyes.

The kid retaliated by hitting one of Nosedive's buttons.

Canard smiled at their antics. He looked at Wildwing, smile still in place.

"The kid is acting much more like his older self, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't know," replied Wildwing, a bit tightly, standing up. He threw some money on the table and left, leaving a baffled Canard behind.

A few moments later, Nosedive approached the table.

"Where's Wing?" he asked.

"He went for a walk," replied Canard, in a questioning tone.

"Oh," responded Nosedive, confused.

X

Nosedive glanced at Canard from the corner of his eye.

Canard was going over each hockey stick, checking for weaknesses.

Nosedive looked back at the helmet he was cleaning. His heart was beating a bit fast, nervous about asking Canard the question that had been floating inside his head for a while now.

"Something on your mind?" asked Canard.

"Huh?"

"You've been cleaning the same spot over and over again. I think you put a hole through it."

"Oh. Uh, well, I was wondering. . . "

"Yeah?"

"Why have you been acting. . . nicer. . . to me?"

Canard took a deep breath. "Oh boy. Where did that come from?"

Nosedive shrugged. "It's just that sometimes I really believe it's real and then at other times. . . I think it's because of, well, you know. . ."

"Explain."

"You're not making this easier," grumbled Nosedive, setting the helmet down. "When you first came, you were always coming down on me. Then the whole Dragaunus thing happened and it's like everyone is treating me differently. Like, sorry what happened, let's all pretend everything is all right."

Canard stared at the wall. "I can't speak for the others, he started out. "When I first got back, I was focuses on the mission. And yes, in my mind you were a liability. But that was just me trying to make the irrational rational."

"What?"

Canard walked over to Nosedive and sat down next to him on the bench.

"My dislike of you stemmed from childhood. You see, my brother and I never got along because of my dad. He was always trying to turn everything into a competition. Your brother and I became best friends. And my dad tried to get me to compete against Wing. But I couldn't. Wing made me see that we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. Those were some great years.

"But then you hatched and imprinted yourself on Wing. I wasn't too keen on having a kid brother tag along. And as you were growing up, I saw how well you and Wing got along. I guess I felt threatened. Here you were, taking away my only friend. And at the same time, I was jealous. You and Wing had something my brother and I could never have, thanks to my dad."

Nosedive's eyes were wide as he heard Canard out.

Canard continued to speak.

"I could never hate Wing. In my eyes, he could never do wrong. So I hated you instead. As I got older, I tolerated your presence because I didn't want Wing unhappy. But deep inside, I think it was pure envy.

"When the Saurians struck, I knew Wing wouldn't leave you that didn't stop me from hoping.

"I really can't remember what happened in dimensional limbo, but when I first came to, I made it a priority to bring everyone to their highest potential. Even you. I pushed you the hardest because I saw you as a weakness. And since I hated you from childhood, I just reasoned with myself that you were just a punk. But you took everything I threw at you, which I guess made me angry. So I kept pushing you to the quitting point. But you never did. You probably thought about it. . . but you didn't. Then when Dragaunus got a hold of you. . . yeah, that opened my eyes.

"You were a weakness. . . and a strength. Wildwing needs you, Dive. Just like you need him. You two balance each other out, provide a stable ground. I was wrong in hating that. You two share something special, and I realized, instead of demeaning it, I should accept it. And in doing so, I got to really see the potential you hold.

"I believe, with sufficient training, you can be as good a team captain as Wildwing. Maybe even better."

"Really?" asked Nosedive, a faint hint of blush on his cheeks. "As good as you?" he then asked impishly.

"No one can be as good as me," Canard replied, mockingly.

Nosedive laughed while Canard chuckled.

"Thanks for giving me an answer," Nosedive said, calming down. He smiled. "I'm glad you aren't really treating me differently because you're afraid I might snap or something."

"You needed a straight answer."

Nosedive grinned. "This is cool. It's like having a second brother."

"You really want another brother telling you what to do?"

"Er. . . oh, look at the time! Gotta save the world from the clutches of Mega Bats of LuCaine."

Nosedive dashed for the exit, colliding into someone. "Whoa!"

Wildwing's hand shot out to hold him steady.

"You okay?" Wildwing asked.

"Sure thing!" responded Nosedive. Then he looked serious. "Where did you go?"

Wildwing ruffled Nosedive's hair. "Just went for a walk."

"Could you at least tell someone where you're going? Sheesh!" Nosedive mock reprimanded.

"I'm sorry," responded Wildwing, looking anything but apologetic. "It won't happen again."

Nosedive then smiled. "Well, it's a bit late and I'm off to bed." He winked at Canard. "night, bro! You too, Wing." With that, Nosedive dashed off.

Canard chuckled and shook his head, putting the abandoned helmet into it's locker and closing it.

Wildwing stared at Nosedive's retreating back, the amusement faded.

X

Training was in session, and each duck was occupied with something.

Grin was bench pressing and Duke was fighting in a simulated sword battle with a robot. Mallory was working on her aim, shooting targets at various distances. Tanya was testing out her newest puck launcher and shield on Wildwing.

"Just what is this suppose to do?" asked Wildwing, turning on his personal shield.

"This puck should shirt circ, uh short cork, er, break through an average force field shields."

"And this will help us how?"

"Well, most force fields we encounter are the same. It uses natural energy and creates polar energies that repel solid matter. If this, like work, it will dis, uh, distri, uh interfere with the energy waves and break through. Then I'll make a larger model for the Migrator."

"But what if it falls into the wrong hands?"

"Well, I've already got a new shield prototype. That's what this wrist band is for." She held up said wrist band. "You get to test it out too!"

Wildwing shook his head in amusement.

As Tanya loaded up the new pucks, Wildwing glanced to his right.

Canard was coaching Nosedive on some street fighting techniques.

Duke let out a chuckle as Nosedive inadvertently knocked their team captain on his back. Canard stared up at Nosedive, wide eyed.

"Kid," he said. "You were supposed to disarm me and get me in a head lock. But this would work."

Nosedive gave a sheepish grin.

"Okay, ready?" asked Tanya, gaining Wildwing's attention back.

"Yeah, responded Wildwing, turning on his shield.

Tanya aimed and fired twice. The first puck caused sparks to fly and the second one went through it.

"Ow!" exclaimed Wildwing, as the puck deflected off of his shoulder.

"Whoops, sorry. Um, now put this on." She handed him the wrist band. As Wildwing strapped on the band and turned on the shield, Tanya stepped back and readied her puck launcher.

"Now, if this works, it'll be installed as a back up shield."

Tanya aimed one more time and then fired.

Wildwing deflected the shot by moving his arm.

The charged puck ricocheted off the shield and went sailing towards Nosedive and Canard.

Canard instinctively ducked, pushing Nosedive.

Nosedive let out a yelp as the puck glanced off of his forehead. The puck bounced off the wall and knocked Duke's saber from his hand. Mallory jumped back as the puck barely missed her face.

Grin caught the puck from his position. He sat up.

"I'm sorry!" apologized Tanya. "I had no idea it would bounce so much!"

"At least no one was seriously hurt," said Canard.

"Speak for yourself, ow!"

Canard had placed his hand under Nosedive's chin, jerking his face up to take a good look at his forehead.

"It's only a scratch, you big baby," Canard scoffed.

"Well, it stings," grumbled Nosedive, pulling away.

Canard rolled his eyes and then looked at Wildwing. "You okay?" he asked. "Cause you usually have better control over projectiles."

"My mistake," Wildwing responded. "But then again, aren't we suppose to expect the unexpected?"

"Well, yes, of course, but. . . "

"Well, if no one was ready for an out of control puck, who's to say anyone is ready to handle Dragaunus."

All the ducks looked taken aback, surprised by Wildwing's sudden change of topics.

"What does a puck have to do with a Saurian?" Canard asked.

"Something . . .nothing. . . I don't know! I mean, here you are training Dive, but you can't expect great results in such a short amount of time. After what's he's been through? I just don't think he'll ever be able to handle a confrontation with Dragaunus!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" interrupted Nosedive, making a time out motion with his hands. "Don't you think that's my call?"

Both brothers glared at each other.

"Well, this is unusual," commented Grin, the surprise evident on his face.

"I'll say," agreed both Mallory and Tanya.

"Wildwing. . . " started Canard, pulling the white mallard to the side.

"Come on, kid," said Duke, gently pulling Nosedive away. "Let's head to the mall."

Outside of the gym, Nosedive pulled himself away. "I don't get it," he said bitterly. "I mean, I know Wildwing, like, always watched out for me and I thought he'd be happy to know that he won't always have to worry about me. That I'd be able to take care of myself, man. But then it turns out he doesn't even have faith in me. . . that just makes me so. . ." He growled. "That just burns me!" He sighed, shoulders suddenly dropping in defeat.

"Forget it," he muttered. "I'll be in my room." With that he walked away.

Duke watched him leave, feeling helpless. "Deja vu," he murmured to himself.

**In the Next Episode of The Mighty Ducks:**

Captain Klegghorn stared at the two men by his desk.

"Captain Klegghorn," said one of them. "This is Detective Carl Decker. I expect you to treat him with upmost respect. After all, he is on the brink of being promoted to Captain."

Decker looked at Klegghorn. "I hear you are looking at early retirement," he said, somewhat snidely.

X

"I don't know, Tanya," said Nosedive. "There's something about that dude that makes my feathers stand on end."

Tanya nodded as she punched in some information. "Well, this will tell us if he's hiding anything."

X

Nosedive grunted as the force of the explosion drove him to the ground. A few moments later, he pushed himself up on his hands and looked around. "Mallory?" he called out. Then he gasped. "Mallory!"


	5. Ep 4: Primary Colors

_A/N: The characters of Mighty Duck: The Animated Series belongs to Disney and its affiliates. _

**Primary Colors**

It was late night in Anaheim. Both children and adults were fast asleep. Few cars drove down the streets. It even seemed quiet at the police station. Several blocks from the Anaheim City Police station was a basketball court.

During the hours of late noon, children would stop on their way from school to shoot a few hoops or watch a game.

It was one of the better courts in the neighborhood. The brick wall that sheltered one side had a mural painted on it by the neighborhood children. It was of a stand full of cheering people.

The court itself was clean. There was no garbage lying on the floor. Even the garbage cans were empty.

The chain linked fence was painted black. While it had been rotated to keep basketballs in, the court itself always remained unlocked, allowing for free entry any time of the day and/or night.

But this particular night, someone entered the court, with no intentions to play ball.

Soft footsteps could be heard, echoing slightly from the wall.

There was a sound of something heavy hitting the floor. A zipper was pulled open and the sound of metal clinking was soon heard. A few moments later, the "puff" of pressurized air could be heard as splatters of paint began to ruin the painting that was the pride of many school children.

X

Captain Klegghorn chewed on a toothpick, face contorted in anger.

Paint was splattered all over the court. The mural was completely destroyed and the ground was sticky with drying paint.

The backboard of the basket had been smashed, and the net itself cut.

"Who would do this?" asked one of the cops.

"A big bully who hates children," replied Klegghorn. "This makes four, right?"

"A playground, a toy store, and an arcade. Yeah, this courtyard makes four."

Klegghorn shook his head in disgust.

"Sir?" called out another officer, holding up a cell phone. "The Commissioner is on the line."

"Just great," muttered Klegghorn.

X

Captain Klegghorn opened his office door, glowering.

Two men were waiting inside. One was a pot bellied man with a balding head. Crisp blue eyes stared back at Klegghorn.

The other man was tall and well built. Cold grey eyes stared with displeasure. Dark blond hair was cut short, military style.

Even his stance said military training.

"Commissioner Lyons," said Klegghorn, with a curt nod.

"Captain Klegghorn," responded Lyons. "This is Detective Carl Decker from the Washington State."

Detective Decker nodded. "I was on vacation, but after hearing about the vandalism, I agreed to be on loan."

"I expect you to treat him with the upmost respect," said Lyons, giving Klegghorn a look. "After all, he is on the brink of being promoted to Captain."

Decker looked at Klegghorn. "I hear you are looking forward to early retirement," he said, somewhat snidely.

Klegghorn did all he could to keep from responding.

Commissioner Lyons stepped towards the door. Detective Decker followed.

"Decker will be following my orders," Lyons said.

"Yes, Commissioner," said Klegghorn.

X

"You know," said Duke, wiping his forehead. "Every once in a while, Phil actually finds a decent PR appearance to pull off."

"Guess under that money hungry exterior, he really does have a soft spot," mused Mallory, waving a paintbrush.

Nosedive made a buzzard sound. "Try again!"

The Mighty Ducks team glanced over their shoulders and spotted Phil selling autographed pictures to a long line of kids.

"Figures," commented Wildwing, focusing back on his task.

Each duck was currently repainting the wall.

Grin proved himself artistic when he added a few familiar faces into the crowd of cheering fans. There were the ducks themselves, Captain Klegghorn, Buzz, Thrash and Mook (which pleased Nosedive to no extent) and a few other human allies they had encountered.

Several teens joined in and, having been inspired by Grin, began to draw in their own faces.

Media crew circled about, interviewing some of the kids.

Wildwing and Canard looked up as a beat up police cruiser showed up.

It stopped just outside the court and Klegghorn stepped out. He wore a sour expression, but flashed a smile to the children and teens.

Both Wildwing and Canard walked over to Klegghorn.

"We have a vandal that gets more destructive with each hit," he said.

"You know we'll always be glad to help you," said Wildwing.

"Well, since you're offering. . .Keep an eye out on your patrols."

"Sure thing."

Canard leaned over and asked in a low voice, "I could have sworn he asked us for our help."

Wildwing just threw him a knowing smirk.

Their attention was diverted by a sleek black car.

"Oh, great," muttered Klegghorn.

"Trouble?" asked Wildwing.

"Depends on your point of view," Klegghorn muttered, as Detective Carl Decker stepped out.

"That's some hot shot detective from Washington State. Carl Decker. "Seems like the Commish wants him to investigate these crimes."

Carl Decker approached them.

"So these are the infamous Mighty Ducks," sneered Decker. "Is your force so inadequate that hockey players have to volunteer their services to catch bad guys?"

The other ducks heard the hostility in his voice. They stopped what they were doing and slowly made their way to their team captain.

"Nah. They just believe in community involvement."

Decker grunted. "If I were captain, I wouldn't need the help of alien ducks to run my precinct." He glared at Nosedive and Mallory.

Mallory glanced over at Nosedive who shrugged his shoulders.

"The Commissioner has given me control over this case. So you ducks better stay out of my way or I'll lock you up for hindering my investigation." He gave one challenging look to Canard.

The tan mallard remained silent.

Decker grunted again. "Then again...I don't see how you could possibly function well with a punk kid and a couple of girls on your team." He shook his head and laughed as he walked away.

"Why that chauvinistic pig!" snarled Mallory. Tanya nodded in agreement.

"Man, what did we ever do to him?" asked Nosedive, annoyed. "Make him lose a bet against us?"

"Yeah, well...the Commish has me giving him the royal treatment, whether I agree to it or not," muttered Klegghorn. "So do yourselves a favor and steer clear. According to his work file, he has been known to carry out his threats legally."

X

Nosedive, Mallory, and Wildwing were walking through the mall. Nosedive was in high spirits, having won another game.

"Eight power plays!" he was saying out loud. "Man, I don't know whether to love or hate goons. They keep giving us so many opportunities to score."

Wildwing flashed a grin at his little baby bro. It had been a while since he and Nosedive had gone out without Canard.

It wasn't that he didn't like Canard. He was his best friend. But he also enjoyed the company of his brother. And lately, each time that Canard was present, he monopolized Nosedive's attention.

But not today. Phil had wanted to go over some future PR stunts.

Under normal circumstances, Wildwing would have joined Canard in agreeing or disagreeing on Phil's choices.

This time, however, Wildwing apologized to Canard and claimed that he had already promised his baby bro to an outing at the mall.

Then he practically kidnapped Nosedive from his room and asked Mallory to join them.

Nosedive reacted favorably to the surprise.

The trip had gone pretty smooth. They had a late lunch, ate some ice-cream. Nosedive was making a list of things he wanted. Mallory was also putting ensembles together in her mind.

They were standing next to a small toy booth when Mallory suddenly pointed to a jewelry store. "Isn't that Decker?" she asked.

Both brothers turned and looked. Inside the jewelry store stood Detective Decker, talking to a man who appeared to be a manager. Next to him was a man in handcuffs.

Suddenly the man kicked out, catching Decker above the knee. He dashed out of the store.

Nosedive immediately grabbed a rubber ball from the booth and hurled it. The ball smacked the guy in the back of his head, causing him to stumble.

Mallory caught him in a flying tackle.

Wildwing and Nosedive caught up with her the same time Decker did.

"That was a big mistake," growled Decker, wrestling the guy off of the floor. "And the last one if I have a say in it."

"No need to thank us," muttered Nosedive.

"I didn't ask for your help," sneered Decker.

"Well, no need to be unpleasant," admonished Wildwing.

"Look...Klegghorn may be radical and all in thought, but I'm not. I don't need help from punk kids, girls, or freaks in general."

With that he shoved his prisoner away.

"Well, that guy was certainly friendly," muttered Wildwing.

"Yeah," said Mallory. "Like a bear."

"Somehow," added Nosedive. "I think a bear would be insulted by the comparison."

X

The Migrator cruised down the streets of Anaheim. Nosedive was at the wheel, Wildwing and Canard at his side.

"Well," said Canard. "The mask hasn't picked up on Dragaunus, and everything else seems clear."

"A little too clear if you ask me," said Duke. "This is the perfect night for any crime."

"Do you think that guy will strike tonight?" asked Nosedive, turning a corner.

"Most likely," responded Canard. "The question is, where would he strike?"

"According to Klegghorn, the places that were hit included a playground, a toy store, an arcade, and that basket ball court," said Wildwing.

"Do you think it was some kid?" asked Tanya.

"No way, Tanya," responded Nosedive. "Not unless those places rip kids off. There is no way anyone with a sense of fun would not like those places. I should know."

"Hey," interrupted Mallory. "Aren't the carnival rides in the park supposed to be closed right now?"

"It should be," said Canard.

"Well, it looks like some lights are on." She pointed to the right and sure enough, several lights were seen.

"Then let's check it out."

"I'd rather not," muttered Nosedive. He turned in that direction nonetheless. Ever since being bait for Jacob Shyster, the carnival just wasn't as fun and carefree.

X

Mallory, Tanya, and Nosedive were approaching the "Flying Elephant" ride when they saw a shadow race from one side to the other.

"There!" shouted Mallory, heading after it.

Tanya quickly informed the group of their location and took off after Mallory. Nosedive was just ahead of her.

The figure suddenly turned around, brandishing what looked like a firearm.

"Duck!" shouted Mallory, leaping behind a ticket booth.

Nosedive and Tanya jumped behind another ride.

Soft puffs of air could be heard, followed by pings on metal, and a few splats.

"A silencer?" asked Tanya.

"It's just a paint ball!" shouted Mallory, sounding peeved.

Nosedive and Tanya emerged from their spots, but the perpetrator was gone.

"Dude, where did he go?"

"He went that way," said Mallory, pointing towards the exit of the park.

The three of them went running in that direction, puck blasters ready for firing.

They skidded to a stop when the rest of the team also appeared from the side. Up ahead were some shadows.

The whole team threw their hands over their faces as bright lights turned on, blinding them.

"Well, well, well," they heard a sarcastic voice say. "If it isn't the Mighty Ducks. Just what brings you out here in the middle of the night?"

"We could ask the same about you, Detective Decker," replied Canard.

"Me? Well, I responded to a reported disturbance. You?"

"We spotted some suspicious activity," responded Wildwing.

"Spotted, or caused," growled Decker. "I thought I told you walking dinner platters to stay out of my way. Being caught in a potential crime scene doesn't look very good." Decker moved forward. "I'm going to investigate this area and it better be clear or all of you will be heading down the county jail!"

X

"Man, I don't believe this!" grunted Duke. "This is the second time I've been stuck in a holding cell here."

"Well, this is a first for me," grumbled Nosedive.

"At least they kept you together instead of separating you, Nosedive," said Klegghorn, stepping up to the bars. "They could have sent you to juvie."

"Captain Klegghorn," said Wildwing, stepping up to greet the captain.

"Bail has been posted, although Phil's out there crying right now about the departed money."

"Figures," muttered Mallory.

"Of course, the way Decker made it out to be, I thought they weren't allowing us to post bond."

"Well, I stepped forward and gave enough plausible doubt about your involvement in the crime. Plus the judge is a huge hockey fan. Not to mention, there was human hair in one of the engine rooms."

"What did he do there? Paint the wheels different colors?" asked Canard.

Captain Klegghorn shook his head. "Your mysterious assailant not only coated the rides with paint balls, but he also threw in some loose screws into the gears. If that ride got started without a thorough check though, lots of kids could have been hurt."

"Thorough?" repeated Canard.

Klegghorn nodded. "Even I wouldn't have been able to spot it without knowing what I was looking for. I guess Decker has some uses." He unlocked the cell door and opened it, allowing the ducks to file out.

"Decker?" asked Nosedive.

"Yeah. Decker found each loose screw."

Nosedive snorted. "Or are his screws loose..."

"Speak of the devil," muttered Tanya, as Detective Decker approached them.

"I see you're letting the birds out of their cage," he said with a smirk. "Don't even think about running. You will go down for these crimes." With that, he left.

"Jerk," grunted Duke.

"Couldn't have put it better myself," grumbled Klegghorn. He turned back around to the ducks. "I personally sent the hair to Crime Labs. So within a few days, we'll see if there are any matches."

X

Tanya was working at Drake 1 when Nosedive approached her.

"Hey, Tanya?" he called out.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering. . . Can Drake 1 also find, like, personal information on people? Like background checks?"

"Instantaneously," responded Tanya, proudly.

"So if we do one on Carl Decker. . ."

"The detective?" gaped Tanya. "Well, like sure, but he's a police officer. I really doubt you could, like, you know, find anything on him that's bad. Even though he locked us up and all."

"I don't know, Tanya," said Nosedive. "There's something about that dude that makes my feathers stand on end."

Tanya nodded as she punched in some information. "Well, this will tell us if he's hiding anything."

A quick second after hitting enter, the computer beeped, and lots of files popped up. As Nosedive and Tanya read on, their eyes grew wide.

"I can't believe that Washington State would even hire a guy like this!" exclaimed Nosedive.

"They wouldn't," corrected Tanya, pointing to another section on the screen. "According to this, Decker was hired on for three days before being fired and investigated on faking background information on his application. He disappeared before he faced a judge. And this is a list of known social security numbers he had used. That's why they could never tie him to his crimes."

"Man, he was even discharged dishonorably from military for scandalous reasons."

"'Excessive use of combat skills, Carl Decker is a candidate for mental evaluation,'" read Tanya. "This guy is warped! 'Shows signs of manic-depression;' 'His chauvinistic views has caused several female captains to resign from the military;' 'Causes dangerous situation;' and 'He is excessive in verbal discipline to juveniles in boot camp.' Sheesh."

"That dude has to be the one messing up all those areas," claimed Nosedive.

"But why?" asked Tanya, saving the files. "We gotta tell Wildwing and Canard and Captain Klegghorn."

Nosedive nodded.

X

"I don't know," murmured Canard, looking at some of the printed sheets.

"It does explain some of his behavior," Wildwing stated. "And it explains why he was at the park without back up."

Canard looked up at Nosedive and Tanya. "Did you get with Klegghorn on this?"

Tanya nodded. "He said he'd call back if everything checked out."

Canard just nodded.

X

In a small room filled with multiple contraptions, a muscled figure stood hunched over a desk. A bright light was shining over a box with an old clock and wires sticking out of it.

"Stupid punk kids," he was muttering. "Brainless women. But mostly punk kids. I'll show them. Discipline is what's needed. Fun rots brains. Without any fun, kids will grow up better, and then parents will thank me."

A wicked grin stole across his face. "Let's see if those freaks manage to ruin this brilliant piece of art."

X

"That's ludicrous!" bellowed Commissioner Lyons, his face all red. "That hair could have fallen while he was investigating the scene."

"Contaminating the crime scene? How unprofessional." Klegghorn stared at his boss. "His DNA is a match, and since we are such by the book men, we need to bring him in for questioning."

"Captain Klegghorn. . ."

The phone on Klegghorn's desk rang. "Klegghorn," he about snapped into the phone. After a few moments of silence, Klegghorn raised an eyebrow and turned to his fax machine. "Oh really," he said, as paper upon paper began sliding out. "Thank you."

Klegghorn hung up the phone and stared at the commissioner sitting in his desk. "It's confirmed," said Klegghorn, a small victorious smirk on his face. "Your number one man is a wanted felon." Klegghorn reached for the fax papers and dropped them in front of the Commissioner.

Commissioner Lyons sat still, looking pale as he skimmed through the papers. Then he put on a brilliant smile. "Captain Klegghorn!" he said in a jolly voice. "In light of this situation, I must say you never cease to amaze me. Once again, your superior detective skills has found and is about to eliminate corruption in our force. Remind me to give you a holiday bonus." With that, he barged out of the office.

"Hmph," snorted Klegghorn. "Sure."

He went back to his desk and opened up the top drawer, pulling out the tele-communicator. Flipping it open, he hit the send button, and almost immediately, Canard's face showed up.

"Speak to me!" he heard Nosedive answer over the voice speakers.

Klegghorn kept a straight face. "I just got word back from some of my contacts. Tanya and Nosedive had it right. Decker is a wanted man. Not only on forgery and such, but on terrorism from his earlier years. Apparently, Decker is missing a few gears inside his head and has been getting worse ever since."

"Great," muttered Canard.

"I'm about to put an APB out on him."

"We'll keep an eye on him from our end," said Canard, before shutting off.

Klegghorn closed his communicator and opened the drawer. He held it opened for a moment and then closed it, sticking the communicator into his pocket. Some way or another, he had a feeling he was going to need to get in contact with the ducks.

X

Duke was driving the Migrator while Mallory and Nosedive rode behind him on the Duck Pods.

A small beep caught their attention.

Klegghorn's voice came over the communicator. "Someone fitting the description of Carl Decker was seen over at the Anaheim Mall. Units are on their way."

"We're nearby, Captain," responded Wildwing.

"The mall?" questioned Canard. "What's he planning on vandalizing this time? The food court?"

Nosedive's slightly offended voice came over the speakers. "Man, I resent that. Just because we eat a lot doesn't mean we spend a lot of time having fun near food. Although. . ."

"Although what?"

"Could we, like, pick up some triple spicy double decker tacos after we nail this guy? I'm starving!"

Canard stifled a laugh as Wildwing bumped his head against the dashboard in mild aggravation.

X

The Anaheim Mall was packed with shoppers. Weekend sales were underway at every department store and boutique. Small time venders were stationed in little booths along the paths, selling everything from cell phone accessories to candles.

"Should we split up?" asked Tanya.

Canard nodded. "Mallory, Nosedive, you take the northern side. Grin, you take the south, but contact us as soon as you know something. Wildwing and Tanya, you two head for the west, Duke and I will go east."

Each of the ducks separated and headed into their directions.

X

Mallory kept looking over her shoulder, trying to spot Decker's face in the crowd. She suddenly found herself bumping into Nosedive.

"Why did you stop?" she asked, annoyed.

"Cause I think I just realized where Decker might be heading," answered Nosedive, pointing up.

Mallory looked in the direction and blinked.

The giant robot above Captain Comics continued to smile, waving his arms about.

Nosedive ran for the entrance, Mallory right behind him.

"What makes you so sure?" she asked.

"So far, all the places that were hit were places that kids had fun. Captain Comics attracts teens like crazy on weekends. Not just because of the comics, but because of the toys and the arcade center. And today is a scheduled card game tournament."

Mallory turned on her communicator and quickly contacted Wildwing as Nosedive ran through the doors.

He stopped at the counter, where his friends Thrash and Mook were ringing up customers.

"Hey, dude," greeted Thrash. "Like, we got your order in this morning."

"Great," responded Nosedive. "But there is some major bad news getting ready to go down. Have you seen a tall guy about yay high with blond hair, grey eyes, and zero sense of fun?"

Mook furrowed her eyebrows. "Well, like, there was this really uncool guy scooping the place out about ten minutes ago."

Thrash snapped his fingers. "Oh, yeah. . . he didn't fit with the group, if you know what I mean."

"Yeah, yeah. The look he gave us was like, brrrr! Arctic." Mook shivered.

Mallory joined Nosedive's side.

"He was most definitely here," Nosedive told her.

"The others are on their way here. In the meantime, I say we scope the place."

Thrash and Mook continued helping their customers, but worry was now evident on their normal cheerful faces.

"Man, I don't see anything," said Nosedive.

"Let's run an outside perimeter check," suggested Mallory, exiting out of the back entrance of the arcade room.

Nosedive was right behind her.

Both of them circled the back of the perimeter, looking up and down.

Mallory even got on the floor to check under some parked cars.

Nosedive stopped by the dumpster. He gave it a look, shrugged, then opened the lid. He immediately shut it. "Mallory?"

"Yeah?"

"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is."

Mallory threw him a confused look as she walked to the dumpster and opened it. Her face went deathly still.

"Guys?" they heard Wildwing call on the communicator. "We're here, where are you?"

Mallory flipped on her com-unit. "Wing, get everybody out of the building. There's a bomb right outside." She slammed the dumpster shut.

"Run, Dive! Twenty seconds left."

"But everyone won't get out in time!" shouted Nosedive, helplessly.

Mallory paused, Wildwing's "No collateral damage" rule still implanted to her head. "Fine then, let's push!

Both Mallory and Nosedive got behind the dumpster and pushed, rolling it away from the side of the building. Luck was on their side as a slight decline helped in acceleration.

"Now!" cried Mallory. Both Nosedive and Mallory stopped pushing and turned the opposite way, heading back for the building.

A large booming sound echoed through the air, sending fire, smoke, garbage and paint went flying everywhere.

Nosedive grunted as the force of the explosion drove him to the ground. A few moments later, he pushed himself up on his hands and looked around. His hair and back dripped with purple paint. "Mallory?" he called out. Then he gasped. "Mallory!"

Not too far was Mallory, face down. She didn't move.

Nosedive's com-unit beeped.

"Dive?" he heard his brother calling. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he responded. "But Mallory's down."

"Hang on," he heard Wildwing say. "We're trying to get people under control. Tanya will be out in a moment."

Nosedive clicked off his comm unit. He glances around, feeling chills going up his back. Even though it was day light, the whole thing seemed spooky.

A soft moan made him feel better.

"Mallory?"

"Not so loud," he heard her mutter.

Mallory pushed herself up, rubbing her eyes. She blinked a few times and then squeezed her eyes shut. "Ugh, I can't see," she muttered in frustration. "I was looking at the dumpster when it exploded. And what is this?" she asked, feeling wet stickiness all over her arms.

"Paint," muttered Nosedive, trying to wring it out of his hair. He gave up and helped her up. "Hang on, Mal. . . Tanya's coming." He began to lead her back to the rear entrance of Captain Comics.

The double doors burst open and Tanya came running out towards them.

"Great to see you," said Nosedive, looking relieved.

"Wish I could say the same," responded Mallory, her eyes still closed.

"I. . ." started Tanya, before a sharp cracking sound interrupted her.

The side window of a nearby car had a neat little bullet hole in it.

"Get down!" she hollered, shoving both Mallory and Nosedive to the ground.

Nosedive yanked out his puck blaster. "We're being shot at?" he asked incredulously. "Isn't there an unspoken rule or something that you can't be shot at so many times within a certain time period?"

Several pings were heard as bullets struck the side of the car.

Tanya quickly looked over the hood of the car and fired of a couple pucks.

Nosedive did the same from the rear.

"Nosedive," called Mallory. "Is the gas tank on your side?"

"Uh, no?"

"Oh, stars," muttered Tanya. "If this car is full of gas, we're as good as char broiled."

Mallory raised a hand. "Be quiet," she said, pulling out her puck blaster.

Nosedive stared at her, incredulous. "Um, Mallory?" he said. "Don't you kind of need to see in order to aim and shoot?"

"I've been practicing," was all she said.

Nosedive and Tanya remained silent, watching with apprehension.

They flinched as another round of bullets punctured the side of the car.

Mallory leapt up and fired twice.

An angry cry echoed through the parking lot.

Tanya leapt up and ran towards where the cry had come from, followed closely by Nosedive.

Mallory, in the meantime, quickly informed Wildwing of what was happening.

Further up ahead, Tanya checked Carl Decker against another car. She rested on top of him, knee against his back.

"Get off of me!" he shouted. "You freaks! I knew you would be here! You are a danger to civilization! Just wait until I bring you to court. I will be hailed a hero!"

X

Mallory sat inside the Migrator, Tanya checking out her eyes.

Mallory squinted as Tanya flashed a light into them.

"You'll be fine," she said. "They're just a little sensitive to light."

"So what's going to happen to Decker?" asked Nosedive, standing right outside their vehicle.

Wildwing, Canard, and Klegghorn watched as Decker was led away by police.

"My guess is he'll be placed into a Institutional Ward before he ever sees the inside of a jail cell," Klegghorn replied.

"But what made him like that?" asked Nosedive.

Captain Klegghorn shrugged. "He just liked being a hero to the point that he created 'dangerous' scenarious in his own mind to conquer."

Nosedive furrowed his eyebrows.

Canard placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Sometimes, kid, there are no sufficient explanations behind what people do."

Klegghorn shrugged his shoulders as he began to walk away. "Minds are very fragile things. They can become twisted or broken in a matter of moments."

During their ride home, Nosedive remained silent in thought.

Wildwing and Canard casted worried looks at one another.

**In the Next Episode of Mighty Ducks. . .**

Duke glared at Mallory who struggled to keep from laughing as he picked himself off the floor. The culprit who pushed him was only one foot away, chewing on hay.

It let out a disdainful bleat.

X

Tanya grinned at Nosedive as the younger duck beamed.

"I did it!" he exclaimed. "I fixed the leak."

Their amusement and good cheer were cut short as alarms began to blare throughout the Pond.

X

Wildwing whirled around, pointing a finger to Canard. "If you had listened to me, this would never have happened!" he shouted.

Canard looked taken aback.


	6. Ep 5: Attack

_A/N: The canon characters of Mighty Ducks the Animated series are property of Disney. These works of fiction are solely for entertainment and no money is being gained._

**Attack**

Long sharp claws moved in rhythm against red skin, tapping, tapping, tapping.

Beady eyes stared at a large monitor as local news footage aired.

They narrowed when the sports anchorman began to talk about hockey.

"The people of Anaheim are ecstatic as our home team continues to be undefeated. Several games have been nail biters but as always, our home town heroes have proven again and again that Anaheim is number one."

"In related news," said a woman, her face taking over the screen, "Anaheim's Lil' Zoo is having a three-day event for young children known as 'Birds of a Feather.' Activities planned throughout the day include games, contests, face painting, and best of all, special guest appearances, including Anaheim's own Mighty Ducks. Tomorrow at two, bring the kids to meet Duke, Mallory, Grin, Wildwing, and Team Captain Canard near the petting zoo. . . "

The screen went black as a yellow claw pushed down on the off button.

Dragaunus grinned with evil delight.

"Perfect," he said with a chuckle.

X

"Aw, man! Why can't I go?" Nosedive practically whined.

"I'd gladly give up my spot to him," offered Duke.

"Forget it," said Wildwing. He turned to his brother. "You messed up one of the Duck Pods, now you have to help Tanya fix it!"

"But why can't I help fix it after the Zoo appearance, or better yet, why not now?"

"Because we have practice tonight," said Canard. "And since Tanya is staying alone tomorrow, you get to stay with her."

"Well, why doesn't she just come with us?"

"Um, well, I would like to," started Tanya.

"See?"

"But I'm, like, allergic to almost anything furry. . ." she finished apologetically.

"Bummer," muttered Nosedive.

"Don't worry, Dive," said Canard, clapping a hand on Nosedive's shoulder. "I'm sure we can take you to visit the petting zoo on some other down time."

"It's not the petting zoo I wanted to go to," said Nosedive, defensively.

"That would ruin his cool image," Mallory teased, knowingly. "This PR stunt was just the perfect cover."

Nosedive crossed his eyes and stuck his tongue out at her. He let out a small "ouch" as Wildwing lightly cuffed the back of his head. "Very mature," he heard his older brother say.

X

"It has been a few weeks, Sir Dragaunus. I would have thought you wiser to have forgotten about your initial plan."

Dragaunus glared at Firepassion Nightbloom, who was currently sitting in _his _main chair, leaning back, legs crossed, fingers pressed together, pointing upward, her distant yellow snake eyes watching him.

He let out a small growl in annoyance. Sure, it had been a while since he had been in the presence of a female, but this one was not worth the trouble of attempting to impress. He'd realized that almost since the very beginning. There was some truth to the idea that Saurian Code warriors were, by nature, loners.

It was almost amazing that such a group could have existed for thousands of years.

"I foresee trouble if you do continue with the quest," Wraith droned on, actually agreeing with the cursed female.

"As long as you're free, boss, I'm sure the security is going to be tight," said Chameleon.

Dragaunus turned his glare to him.

Chameleon gulped and hid behind Siege. He attempted an innocent grin. "But we're behind you ninety nine point nine percent of the way!"

Dragaunus turned back to Nightbloom.

"Forgive me for asking, Nightbloom. . . " said Dragaunus with a sneer. "But if you are unwilling to help, why are you still here?"

Nightbloom stood up. "To watch you fail." With that, she bowed her head and disappeared, a smirk flashing across her face.

"You got to hand it to her," said Chameleon. "She's very honest."

X

Wildwing watched as Canard pulled Nosedive aside to coach him.

Nosedive nodded at every word, Canard having his complete attention.

There was a time when Nosedive would look at him that way. Everything that came from Wildwing's beak was a fountain of knowledge. Granted as kids he would sometimes make up stories to scare his baby brother. . . but that was beyond the point.

Wildwing crouched as Nosedive stepped away from Canard and set himself up for another shot.

Canard skated to his right.

At a nod, Canard passed a puck to Nosedive.

Nosedive quickly charged towards the goal, and passed it back to Canard.

Wildwing got ready, waiting for Canard to pass it back to Nosedive. From the left, he knew that Nosedive's shots tended to go into the upper corner.

Canard passed the puck to Nosedive.

Nosedive raised his hockey stick.

Wildwing raised his glove.

Nosedive passed it back to Canard who shot it into the right bottom corner.

"Weren't expecting that, were you?" Canard asked Wildwing, almost mockingly.

"No, I didn't," replied Wildwing, a bit bitterly.

Nosedive was grinning.

"That was a well planned move," Grin said, patting Nosedive's back.

Wildwing turned away. He should have been the one showing Nosedive to be a better player. It was his right as family.

X

Dragaunus strode past a line of droids, barely glancing at them. "Are they ready?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord," replied Wraith. "Although I fail to see why you bother with these incompetent machines."

"They will be enough for what I have planned. Chameleon!"

Chameleon scrambled up towards him. "Yes, boss?"

"Are you ready for your part?"

Chameleon morphed into a little tubby boy and began screaming "I want a ducky, I want a ducky!" He grinned and teleported out of sight.

Dragaunus turned to Wraith. "They are just the distraction."

X

Wildwing paused as the rest of the team piled into the Migrator. "I don't know," he was saying. "Maybe I should stay here and keep an eye on Nosedive."

Nosedive gave him a look.

"And Tanya," Wildwing added.

Canard saw the look on the young duck's face. "Wildwing," he said. "Nosedive is perfectly fine on his own here with Tanya. Besides, we upgraded the security here. Nothing can sneak in without setting off some major alarms."

Nosedive shot Canard a grateful look.

"Boobalas! Come on! We're gonna be running late!" came Phil's voice from inside the vehicle.

"Fine," said Wildwing, making his way to the Migrator. He boarded without another word, looking none too happy about the situation.

Canard gave Nosedive a small wink as the younger duck waved at them.

Tanya and Nosedive watched them leave.

"I really wanted to go," Nosedive finally said.

Tanya chuckled.

X

A green snake hung from the branches of a tree. It slithered down a branch, head moving from side to side as people underneath it flocked through the entrance of Anaheim's Lil' Zoo.

Its tongue flickered in and out. A rumbling sound made it stay still, tree shaking.

People parted and pointed as they spotted the Migrator making its way to the gated entrance on the left of the main one.

Park officials opened the gate to allow the Migrator in and people moved a bit faster through the ticket lines.

The snake glowed green and then there was a boy in its place. He dropped down from the tree and moved his wrist to his face. "The birds have landed," he said. Then he slipped past the gate, standing close enough to a family to be mistaken as part of it.

X

Grin chuckled as several kids hung from his arms, laughing with joy.

They each had hand-made bird masks sitting on top of their heads. One of them was an eagle, another a crane. But most of them had duck bills on them.

"Mommy, I wanna be a duck when I grow up!" he heard one of them say.

Canard smiled and shook his head at Grin's antics. He held the hand of one kid, who was currently afraid of getting near some chicks.

Wildwing, in the mean time, was holding up a small girl. The girl was holding a bottle, trying to feed a calf.

"Ew!" he suddenly said, pulling the girl close as he turned around.

Around him, several parents laughed at the adolescent giraffe that had licked the feathers on top of Wildwing's head.

Off to the side, Mallory and Duke were not having as much fun.

Mallory was trying her best to keep a happy expression for the good of the kids. But it was difficult when some goat decided that it liked her.

No matter where she moved, the goat leaned up against her or rested its head on her lap when she was kneeling.

Duke, was torn between amusement and disgust. The petting zoo smelled, the day was a bit too warm, and honestly, publicity was just never his thing, except for playing hockey.

The goat enamored with Mallory, however, was almost worth the pain of sticking around.

He began to laugh as Mallory's eye twitched. She gave him a look that made him laugh harder.

His laughter was cut short as something slammed him from behind.

He landed face first into some hay.

Duke glared at Mallory, who now struggled to keep from laughing, as he picked himself off the floor. The culprit who pushed him was only one foot away, chewing on hay.

The black sheep stared at Duke before it let out a disdainful bleat.

X

"Just what exactly did you hit?" asked Tanya, walking around the elevated Duck cycle.

Nosedive shrugged. "Um, a curb?"

Tanya shook her head as she began touching several sections of the bike. "Well, something definitely cracked with both the oil and coolant leaking. Problem is finding the exact place."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to buy a whole new tank?"

"If you're willing to part with your comic book funds. . ."

Nosedive immediately pulled a set of goggles over his head as he began to trace the pipes of the tanks.

X

Dragaunus watched the monitor as news footage was being aired about the Mighty Ducks' public appearance.

"Begin phase one," he said.

X

No one noticed the little boy ducking behind some palm trees and emerging as a zookeeper.

The Chameleon made his way to one of the Lion's cages and jimmied the lock open.

"Here, kitty kitty," he said, morphing back into his usual self and holding out a big steak.

The lion looked at him and then sniffed the air. It began to make its way to the exit, where Chameleon took a nervous step backward. "Why do I always have to be the bait?" he asked himself.

He tensed up as the lion began to crouch.

He let out an "eep" as the lion roared and pounced. Chameleon vanished.

The lion blinked as its prey disappeared. It stood up and sniffed the air. There was a lot more food around.

X

Chameleon appeared directly in front of Siege and Wraith. He looked down and saw that the lion had managed to snag his outfit.

Siege let out a snort as Chameleon passed out. "Wimp," he said.

X

Laughter turned to screams in an instant, as people scattered everywhere.

Wildwing and Canard looked up.

"A lion has escaped!" they heard a zookeeper shout.

"Come on," ordered Canard. "We got to help them capture it before it hurts someone."

The team quickly changed into battle mode.

Together, they dashed out of the petting zoo and headed to where all the commotion was.

X

Dragaunus let out an evil grin as programs were interrupted with footage from the zoo.

"Initiate phase two."

X

The Pond's parking lot was empty.

Then it was filled with a glowing light as fifty droids appeared out of nowhere.

Together, they began to march towards the Pond.

X

The lion snarled as it backed into a corner between a stone wall and five alien ducks and three zookeepers.

One of the zookeepers aimed a rifle at it.

The lion roared and then leapt at one of the other zookeepers.

"Look out!" shouted Mallory, as she tackled the unfortunate zookeeper out of the way.

The lion flew over them and charged into the nature trail.

"After him!" shouted Canard.

X

Dragaunus chuckled.

"And now, phase three."

With that, Dragaunus, Chameleon, Wraith, and Siege disappeared.

Nightbloom stayed in the control room and flipped the monitor on.

"You will not succeed this time, self-proclaimed lord. But watching you figure that out will use up some of my time."

X

Tanya grinned at Nosedive as the younger duck beamed.

"I did it!" he exclaimed, waving a torch. "I fixed the leak."

Their amusement and good cheer were cut short as alarms began to blare throughout the Pond.

"It's Drake 1!" Tanya exclaimed.

"Aw, man! What now?" asked Nosedive, as both ducks raced to the main frame.

"I don't believe this," shouted Tanya. "We're under attack!" Tanya flipped open her com unit. "Canard! Wildwing, come in! Oh great. . ."

"What? What?"

"We're being jammed."

Tanya sat down in front of Drake 1, and Nosedive did the same. She hit a button and all the surveillance cameras clicked on.

Both Nosedive and Tanya felt their jaws hit the floor when they spotted droids at every major location, firing their lasers at the doors. One of the cameras caught a glimpse of Lord Dragaunus and his goons.

"We are so in trouble. . ." muttered Nosedive.

X

Captain Klegghorn was sitting at his desk, filing reports, when his phone began to ring. He picked it up and answered gruffly.

Someone immediately began shouting at him, causing him to pull the phone away from his ear.

"Calm down!" he barked out before resting the phone between his ear and his shoulder. "Now what were you saying?" Klegghorn's eyes nearly bugged out. "Someone's attacking the what?"

X

The lion was currently sitting on top of a rock, panting from exhaustion and heat. It kept a wary eye out, sniffing the air, trying to locate its pursuers.

Not far ahead, hiding behind some bushes, Wildwing and Canard were crouched side by side. Wildwing whispered softly into his communicator.

"When I give the signal, you and Duke jump out and startle him."

On the screen, Mallory nodded.

"Beautiful," commented Duke. "And if the beast decides it would rather have us for lunch?"

"Run," suggested Canard.

Duke gave him a dirty look as he switched the communicator off.

"One. . . two. . ." counted Canard.

Wildwing's communicator beeped.

Both ducks froze as the lion whirled to face their direction.

Wildwing quietly answered it, eyes on the lion. He made sure the volume was low.

"Guys, you need to get back to the Pond quick," said Klegghorn.

"Why? What's going on?" asked Canard, clearly frustrated.

"Your home is under siege," responded Klegghorn, before shutting off.

"Nebulas. . . " cursed Wildwing. "I knew it!" He looked over at Canard. "How much do you wanna bet this. . . " he pointed at the lion. ". . . is something that Dragaunus's goons cooked up?"

"Let's wrap this up and head over there fast," Canard said, his voice tight. He hit a button on his communicator. A moment later, Duke and Mallory jumped up from their hiding spot, charging in the direction of the lion.

The lion gave a start and jumped towards Wildwing and Canard.

Wildwing and Canard leapt up and fired into the ground.

The lion leapt away and right into the arms of Grin.

Grin held the struggling beast as a zoo official shot it with a tranquilizer dart.

Grin let it go.

The lion stumbled a bit before it lowered itself to the floor and closed his eyes.

The park official looked up at them. "Thank you so much," he said.

"Not a problem," said Canard, a bit curtly. "But we have to leave. Now. To the Migrator!"

X

Tanya scrambled at the controls, Nosedive by her side.

"We're losing shield power on the eastern wing!" she said.

"Weren't you working on that new force field?" ask Nosedive, shifting one energy source to another. He winced as one of the screens showed another generator quitting. He quickly punched in a few keys and had energy from another generator rerouted to keep up the shields.

"Well, like, yeah," replied Tanya. "But I don't have the full scale model working yet! What with fixing everything and all, and saving the world."

Nosedive made a face. "Uh, guess you're right, Taun," he said. "Even I haven't had time to read my latest issues. . . " His voice trailed as Tanya gave him a look. "Never mind," he said hastily.

"Grab your puck blasters," Tanya suddenly said.

Nosedive yanked out his puck blaster from his holster.

"Let's go to my lab. Quick!"

As they passed Drake 1, Nosedive felt his stomach drop. The shields were too weak to hold off much longer, and it looked like the first one to completely go would be the elevator entrance leading to Drake 1.

X

Dragaunus laughed as the droids began to make their way into the locker room.

The elevator doors were soon blasted open, and several droids walked in.

Everywhere else, droids were stationed at every possible exit.

X

Nosedive backpedaled as his momentum took him past Tanya's lab. He dashed right in and looked up in time to catch the multi puck launcher.

"Oof!" The weapon was somewhat heavy.

"We're going to be needing some serious am...amu..um, firepower!" said Tanya, grabbing another weapon off of her shelf. "Well, this one hasn't been, you know, tested or anything, but now would be a good time."

Nosedive immediately wondered if it was too late to apply for life insurance.

X

The Migrator screeched as it turned the corner, riding on two wheels before slamming back down to the road.

Inside, Canard threw Wildwing a look. "It won't help if we don't make it," he said.

Wildwing just narrowed his eyes and accelerated.

X

Klegghorn shook his head and ordered the troops to start firing.

Police cars lined up around the stadium, barricading the area to keep spectators away.

City and state officers aimed at the droids and began to empty out their guns.

Lasers began to fly back as several droids turned and returned fire.

"Where are they?" snarled Klegghorn.

X

Tanya's lab plunged into darkness before red emergency lights kicked in.

"They're in," said Tanya, running out of her lab.

Nosedive followed, close on her heels.

X

Nightbloom watched the screens, silent.

A small smile graced her lips as a glowing ball appeared to her right. Inside, she could see Nosedive running behind Tanya.

"Clever little ducks. Never underestimate any creature's will to survive."

X

Klegghorn looked up as the Migrator pulled up. The team piled out, battle ready.

"What's the stat?" Canard asked.

"From the looks of it, half of the force made it in. The other half is holding us back. Our bullets are barely putting dings in their armor."

"Then let us try!" said Wildwing.

Mallory ran back into the Migrator, followed by Duke. The cannons on top of the vehicle swiveled over to aim at the droids.

"Fire!" ordered Canard.

Within moments, lasers, bullets, and pucks flew through the air.

X

Tanya and Nosedive threw themselves to the ground as laser blasts flew over them.

"We're going to die!" shouted Nosedive, halfway into hysterics.

"Those are stun blasts," Tanya shot back. "They're here to take us alive."

"Even worse," muttered Nosedive. He quickly turned and fired. The multi-puck launcher took out the four droids that were directly behind them. "At this rate, we're gonna run out of pucks." Nosedive launched another puck.

"I suppose this would be a bad time to say I had some, um, personal shield prototypes in my lab."

Nosedive gave her a look.

Tanya shot him a sheepish grin and shrugged. She then turned and fired rapidly at one of the droids.

X

"Any luck getting through?" asked Duke.

"Negative," responded Mallory. "I can't even get hold of Wildwing and we're only a few meters away."

"Something close by must be jamming the frequencies." Duke peered out of the Migrator, looking around. He squinted as he saw a shadow standing on top of a building. It darted away, and Duke noticed a satellite dish that hadn't been there before.

"Over there!" he said, pointing.

Mallory swung the cannons and fired.

X

Nightbloom rested her head against the wall of a building, looking up as a glowing puck blew a satellite dish away.

"Oh, my," she said. "How careless of me. Seems I have given away the location of Dragaunus's jamming device." She chuckled to herself and disappeared.

X

"We are running out of running space, Tanya," said Nosedive, his shoulder aching from the weight of the multi-puck launcher.

"We still have the sewer exit and the Aerowing to choose from," she responded, using her omnitool to tweak one of their defense robots.

The robot sputtered to life and began to hover towards the cluster of droids that were currently battling several more of Tanya's defense machines.

"Good thing Wing never listened to Klegghorn about getting a dog instead of technology," she said, jumping to her feet and hauling Nosedive up with her.

Both gave a start as their com units beeped.

"Wildwing!" exclaimed Nosedive, relieved to his his brother's face on the screen.

"Dive! Tanya! Where are you guys?" he barked out.

"We're near the northern underground exit," Tanya answered. "Just about all other exits are barricaded."

"How much ammo have you got?" asked Canard, grimly.

Tanya shook her head. "Several decent shots, but, like, we're running out quick."

"We're about to enter the Pond. If you can hold off without using the ammo for a few more minutes, we'll both get them from both sides."

"No problem!" said Nosedive, flashing a grin.

Wildwing had a worried look on his face, which irritated Nosedive.

"I can handle it," the younger duck said, with a pout.

"We'll see each other in a few," responded Wildwing.

The screens blacked out.

"You know, you could have offered to jump out of a plane without a parachute," commented Tanya. "Like, there would have been better chances of walking out of that alive!"

"Aw, Tanya, where's your sense of danger and adventure!"

"Under the careful eye of self preservation!"

Nosedive pointed further down the hall. "Can't we just use the blast shield to slow them down?"

The ground quaked beneath them.

"I hope it holds them long enough," said Tanya, running towards the shield. "I think they just blew up the last of our auto-defense system droids."

Nosedive and Tanya arrived at a panel. Tanya smacked a button to the right and a thick steel door slammed down, cutting them off from the droids.

"Now we wait," she said, slightly out of breath.

X

Dragaunus passed a pile of smoking machine parts. He gave it a glance and continued on.

"Soon," he said, with a vicious chuckle. "We'll show how wrong Nightbloom is."

"I predict you may have to eat those words," said Wraith, glumly.

Dragaunus whirled around to glare at him, and then cursed the deity that made the ducks. Coming up from behind was the rest of the team.

"Chameleon, I though you created a distraction for them!"

"I did, I did!" swore Chameleon. "Those ducks were braver than I thought. I mean, sheesh. . . you don't help catch lions, especially if you're labeled as prey!"

"Well then, don't just stand there, start firing!"

X

Wildwing rounded one of the corners and halted.

Up ahead were Dragaunus and his goons, as well as the other half of the droid army and a battered blaster shield.

Wildwing growled at the thought that his brother was just on the other side, helpless.

He immediately began firing, and within seconds, Canard and the rest of the Mighty Ducks team joined him.

"Blast those ducks!" shouted Dragaunus. "Literally and figuratively!"

Chameleon and Siege opened fire, hiding behind some of the droids for protection. Wraith let loose one of his fireballs, which was blocked by Wildwing's shield.

"Mallory!" barked Canard, pointing to one of the emergency lights over the droids.

Mallory raised her puck blaster and fired.

The hallway plunged into darkness.

"Curses!" snarled Dragaunus. "Retreat!"

The hallway was illuminated with green light as the four Saurians teleported out of the Pond. The droids, lacking direction, fired at everything.

Duke leapt forward, swishing his saber, cutting the laser blasters away.

At the same time, the blaster door opened up, revealing Nosedive and Tanya who immediately began to shoot at the remaining droids.

A few moments later, the last of the droids were disabled.

"Are you okay?" Canard asked Nosedive and Tanya.

Nosedive and Tanya nodded.

"A little help up here?" came Klegghorn's voice on their com-units.

X

Klegghorn dodged another laser as a policeman to his right took a shot over the hood of his car.

Both of them scrambled as the car rose over their heads.

Underneath stood another droid, robotic eyes blazing red.

Klegghorn and the officer raised their arms, both knowing that it was a futile gesture.

The droid was checked from the side by Grin.

The car slammed back into the ground while the droid ended up smashed into pieces.

"Well," deadpanned Klegghorn. "You sure took your time getting here."

"You tend to miss things when you rush in life," responded Grin, in an equally calm voice.

X

Canard rolled his eyes as Phil moaned about the money it would take to repair the damage to the exterior of the Pond.

"This is all coming out of your salaries!" he finally shouted.

"Yeah, yeah, Phil, I'm trying to watch the news," commented Duke, trying to tune out their manager.

Further away, Wildwing was still checking Nosedive for any possible injuries.

From the look on Nosedive's face, Canard guessed that the teen's patience was wearing thin.

_Canard to the rescue, _he thought to himself, making his way to the two brothers. He was confused at the dirty look that Wildwing threw at him.

"Relax, Wing," he said with a cautious smile. "Dive is fine, aren't you?"

Nosedive nodded in exasperation. "Yes!" he stressed, confirming Canard's guess.

"You see? You had nothing to worry about. Nosedive can handle himself. . ."

"No!" Wildwing whirled around, pointing a finger to Canard. "If you had listened to me, this would never have happened!" he shouted.

Canard looked taken aback. Nosedive mirrored his expression.

"Dragaunus probably attacked because he knew that most of us were away, and if I had been here, he probably would have thought twice about attacking the Pond."

Canard narrowed his eyebrows in anger. "'Probably' being the key word, Wildwing. You can't be with Nosedive all the time. He's a teenager, for crying out loud!"

"Um, hello? Said teenager standing right here!"

"And your point?" snarled Wildwing.

"The baby bird has to leave the nest sometime, Wildwing. You won't be with him forever, and he's gotta learn to cope with situations on his own. Heck, he already _i _ learning, if you only give him a chance to apply himself!"

"Oh, that's rich, Canard," Wildwing shot back. "I believe that's what I tried to get you to do last year, and suddenly, a complete one eighty."

Canard stared as Wildwing turned and walked away, fists clenched.

"Um," started Nosedive, suddenly looking unsure of himself. "Maybe I should go and try to talk to him."

Canard nodded silently and watched the blond duck leave.

He turned around to see the faces of the other ducks and Phil staring at him.

"Suit up," he barked. "Practice time."

The other ducks knew better than to argue at this point.

X

Dragaunus let out a roar of frustration and anger. "I was so close!" he shouted. "What went wrong?"

"You depended on machinery," replied Nightbloom. "And machinery can and will go wrong."

"Thank you so much for your input," Dragaunus replied sarcastically. He dropped himself into his throne, eyes narrowed.

_Something went wrong, and I'm sure you had something to do with it, _thought Dragaunus. _But no matter. This time I have a plan that will surpass the others, and then we shall see who the commoner is, Firepassion Nightbloom. . ._

**In the Next Episode of the Mighty Ducks. . . **

X

"Wildwing," Canard said in a warning voice. "Let him spread his wings."

Wildwing looked at Nosedive, who glared back.

Wildwing dropped his shoulders. "Fine," he said. "But Mallory is going with you."

X

Mallory ran out of the store and began to cough at the amount of smoke that was billowing throughout. She immediately thought about Wildwing. "He is going to kill me," she said to herself.

X

Nosedive turned the corner and skidded to a stop. A shadowy figure dropped in front of him, eyes blazing yellow from under a hood.

Nosedive's breath got caught in his throat as a memory resurfaced.

This was the one that had started the whole nightmare with Dragaunus and Darkflame. . .


	7. Ep 6: Mall Ducks

Mall Ducks

Nosedive glumly threw a racket ball against the wall of his room, catching it as it rebounded. He felt the faint tremors of all the racket that was going on above him- - the bull dozers and construction crew that was repairing the damage inflicted by Draguanus's droids.

With the reconstruction that was taking place inside, all the ducks helped. Nosedive even got to use the blow torch again.

But the one thing that bugged him was the sudden overprotectiveness that Wildwing unabashadly showed. He couldn't leave a room without answering to Wildwing. Then he had made the mistake of saying, "Man, Dragaunus would be easier to cope with than you."

He had never seen his brother so mad.

Even Canard took pity on him.

And Nosedive took pity on Canard. Wildwing had given the team captain a cold look.

Canard looked about as baffled as Gretsky in the Icecapades.

He then narrowed his eyes and pulled Wildwing to another room for a little one on one. Canard emerged with a bruising jaw, and Wildwing's eyes remained downcast for the rest of the day. Both remained silent over the subjects and events that were breached, but Nosedive was pretty sure that he was somehow invovled.

X

Wildwing ran his hand over the blaster door. Each dent had been smoothed out and reinforced with more steel.

He thought back to a couple days, when he had brushed off Canard's comments. His friend decided it was time to talk.

"I don't know what you're problem is, Wing," Canard had shot at him. "But you've been acting like a bird possessed."

"Nothing is wrong," Wildwing growled back.

"Right," replied Canard. "That's why you're suddenly playing warden with Dive and giving me the cold shoulder. You are my friend, Wing, but I'm also your team captin. I can't keep having you treating me with this kind of disrespect."

Wildwing remained silent.

Canard sighed. "I said it before, Wing. You won't always be there for your brother."

"Yes, I will," Wildwing snapped back.

"Look!" hissed Canard. "You are in some serious denial. Yes, you and your brother shared a bond that was meant to be between a parent and a child, and yes, you've been there to look for Nosedive's well being all his life, but Wing. . . Nosedive is growing up and you brought him on this team against my wishes. You told me that you would watch over him, but apparantly, he's been watching over himself from time to time. Nosedive is not a little hatchling anymore. He needs his space and he needs to be on his own."

"But Draguanus. . ."

"We'll deal with him when the time comes."

Wildwing snorted. "Like we dealt with him last time?"

Canard gritted his teeth. "He held out till we got here, didn't he? And there is a perfect example. Even if you were there, I'm pretty sure Dragaunus would have still attacked." Canard sighed. "I myself didn't really see why you brought him along, and I'll admit, at first, I didn't see him as much of an asset to the group. But, Wildwing, he got through some tough situations, and instead of urging him to continue being strong, supporting and coaching him to be the fighter I can see him to be. . . you attempt to coddle him and with your mother hen act, demean his attempts to prove himself! I just don't understand. . ."

"Exactly," interrupted Wildwing. "You don't understand. You never had the bond we share and you never will."

Canard gave Wildwing a stoney glare. "That was low," he said.

"It's the truth," Wildwing replied, in a low yet deadly voice.

Canard closed his eyes, his body tense. Then they opened, distant and cold.

"Cut the subtleties, Wildwing. If you want to hurt me, why don't you just hit me?"

Wildwing turned away. "No, Canard. . ."

"Why not?" egged Canard, his voice taking on a deadly edge. "Is it because you are the coward you claim to be? The chicken? Or is it because you know that since you can't protect your brother from Draguanus, you can't possibly fight me?"

Wildwing tensed up and then threw a punch with an angry shout.

His fist connected with Canard's jaw, sending him reeling back a few steps.

Canard touched his jaw and looked back up at Wildwing. "Does that make you feel better?" he asked, his voice calm.

Wildwing's eyes widened, and then shifted downwards, his whole demeanor changing from anger to guilt. "No. . ." he confessed. "I feel worse."

He flinched when Canard laid a gentle hand on his shoulder.

"I don't know what's wrong," Wildwing suddenly said. "It's just. . . it's just that it seemed a lot more simple when Draguanus was just the bad guy that took over Puckworld."

Canard raised an eyebrow at the comment.

"But now. . . well. . . now he involved family. . . _my _family. And it seems a lot more complicated."

Canard patted his shoulder. "I know," he said. "Now come on, let's go back out."

With that, both ducks stepped out back into the open.

Wildwing closed his eyes. At that time, yes, he felt guilty over his actions. But he still had no control over the waves of bitterness and anger that arose each time Nosedive resisted Wildwing's attempt to protect him. It was as if he was denying the opportunity for the two brothers to reconnect.

Wildwing opened his eyes and ran his hand over the steel door one more time. It was fine.

X

Nosedive took a deep breath as he tried to gather his courage.

"Wildwing?" he started, timidly. "Like, it's the second week of the month, and, um, all my new comics came in."

"So?"

Nosedive felt a twinge of annoyance. "I'm going to pick the up."

"No you aren't," replied Wildwing. "I will."

Nosedive opened his mouth to repond, but was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing his throat.

"Wildwing," Canard said in a warning voice. "Let him spread his wings."

Wildwing looked at Nosedive, who glared back.

Wildwing dropped his shoulders. "Fine," he said. "But Mallory is going with you."

Nosedive exhaled. _Well, _he thought to himself. _It's a start._

X

Mallory and Nosedive glanced at each other.

"I am not going into Sassy Secrets Lingerie," Nosedive said hotly, still remembering the last time he went with Mallory.

"You don't have to," Mallory replied. "We'll just meet at Weiner World in an hour."

Nosedive sighed in relief. "Thank the stars!" he exclaimed.

Mallory shook her head. "We're not too far apart in age, Dive.. I know the humiliation of being watched."

Nosedive grinned. "In an hour," he said, and took off.

Mallory grinned as well and went her way.

X

A young man stepped out of an electronics store, arms filled with bags. "I can't believe I'm doing this," he said. "Instead of stealing, old Draggy's actually doing the honest thing and buying! Sheesh."

He shifted the bags with his four fingered hands as he looked to his left. He froze momentarily in panic when he spotted a blond duck racing into Captain Comics. Then he remembered that he currently looked like a human.

"So," he muttered to himself. "The little duck is on his own. Bet Draguanus would love to hear this." He paused. "But if he tries to catch him, and actually succeeds. . . ooo, I don't want Darkflame making things harder again. But if I don't say anything, and Dragaunus finds out. . . things will be bad."

The Chameleon groaned inwardly. It would be best to play safe and let Dragaunus know that the kid was at the mall without supervision.

X

Nightbloom stood by the main computer, staring at the blank screen. "What is it, Sir Draguanus?" she asked, a slight trace of mockery in her voice. "No new plans? Are you planning to sulk all week long? You will never accomplish anything that way."

Dragaunus glared at her.

At that moment, Chameleon appeared in front of him, depositing bags of equipment.

Nightbloom narrowed her eyes at the sight of them.

"Boss, boss!" said the Chameleon, morphing back to his true form. "You're never gonna believe what I saw!" he said, feigning excitement.

"What?" snarled Drauganus.

"That kid Nosedive is at the mall. . . and it looks like he's alone."

Dragaunus turned to Nightbloom, a triumphant look on his face. "There, you see?" he said. "Those ducks are constantly putting themselves in a bad situation. They are not as intelligent as they appear to be."

"Then why the obsession in recapturing the hatchling?"

Draguanus snarled. "It's not an obsession. And besides, Darkflame proved himself to be very intellectual."

"A reflection of his normal self," Nightbloom said in a low voice. "Do what you wish, Dragaunus. It is your plan. I just disagree on it." She turned around and disappeared.

"Ready the droids!" Dragaunus ordered.

X

"Yo!" Nosedive called out, entering Captain Comics.

"Like, Dive, dude," greeted Thrash. "Long time no see."

"Yeah, like, is everything cool?" asked Mook.

Nosedive grinned and walked to one of the racks. "Everything is just fine," he said with flourish. "I'm free from the ever vigillant watch of my big bro, and I'm at my fav store. . . what more could I possibly ask for?"

X

Mallory paused in front of another store, a small bag in her hand. She glanced inside and paused.

The Army Store was having a sale. She debated with herself, and then decided, what the heck? She walked in.

X

Draguanus materialized near the Anaheim mall. He stared at the shopping center and then looked at his droids. "Smoke them out," he said, calmly.

X

Nosedive and Mallory had met each other inside the mall when the first explosion sounded.

"What was that?" asked Nosedive, picking himself off the floor.

"I don't know," responded Mallory, as people ran in different directions, screaming. "But I think it came from over there."

"Really? What gave you that clue?" responded Nosedive, as clouds of smoke began to rise.

"Let's go!" shouted Mallory, switching into battle gear.

Nosedive followed suit and ran after the red headed duck.

X

"I knew it!" shouted Wildwing, as he clicked off the communicator. "I shouldn't have let him go out on his own."

"He's with Mallory," growled Canard, leaping into his seat in the Migrator.

"But he should have been with me," responded Wildwing.

"You," added Canard, in a concerned tone. "Need to seek some professional help."

X

Mallory fired a few shots and ducked behind a pillar as some lasers flew her way.

"Man, oh man!" exclaimed Nosedive, counting all the droids that were assembled in a line. "These odds stink!"

"Look out!" yelled Mallory, as a lser beam flew their way.

Mallory and Nosedive lunged in opposite directions, feeling the heat of the lasers against their backs.

The droids moved in, keeping both of them separated.

"Dive!" shouted Mallory, trying to keep an eye on the younger duck. She felt her heart drop when she couldn't spot the blond through all the smoke.

Dive, in the meantime, was getting ready to panic when he realized that he was being separated. He kept firing his puck blaster, hoping that he would get lucky and completely disable at least one droid.

Judging by the number of lasers flying his way, however, seemed to say that it wasn't happening.

He found himself being backed into a small restuarant. Dive threw himself over the counter and ducked behind it as lasers broke glass, sending shards of them flying.

"Bro, where are you when I need you?" he muttered, covering his head with his arms.

X

Klegghorn looked up as the Migrator skidded to a stop.

"Youse lucky no one's filed a suit against all the damage you've caused," he said, gruffily.

"Us?" asked Canard.

"Well, yeah. They're after you, this is all your fault!"

Canard shook his head as he scanned the mall. He could make out the small army of droids. "It has them split up," he said.

Wildwing became agitated. "Then let's go!"

"Hold on a moment. We have to come up with a plan. Barging in there like that is going to get us killed."

"Well," interrupted Klegghorn. "Whatever you're planning, do it quick! These droids are creating a mess!"

Canard ignored Klegghorn as he thought up the best way to split the team. He already new that Wildwing was going to have to go in the direction that Nosedive was in to keep him happy.

"Wing, Grin, and Tanya, go right. Duke and I will go left."

The ducks split up into their groups.

"Wait!" shouted Klegghorn, running after Canard and Duke. "Not without me."

X

Mallory cursed her luck as she found herself being pushed back into a china shop. Bits of glass and porcelien flew into the air and rained down on her as lasers shot over her head.

She fired back, continuing to move towards the rear of the store. She ducked into the stock room and grinned.

Luck was on her side.

An emergy exit had been installed.

X

Nosedive scrambled back into the kitchen area, hoping that this one had a back entrance or something.

He sighed in relief as he spotted the glowing "exit" sign.

His relief was short lived as an explosion rocked the place. The ceiling came tumbling down, a cloud of dust rising into the air.

Nosedive gasped as his whole body hit the floor. The impact knocked the puck blaster out of his hands.

He watched in dismay as his weapon was buried under the rubble.

X

Canard, Grin, and Klegghorn rounded one side of the mall and stopped. There before them stood Dragaunus and his goons.

"Fire!" ordered Canard.

X

Dragaunus gloated gleefully as he kept watch over the progress of his droids.

"Destroy the female," he barked into his com.

Wraith, Seige, and Chameleon silently watched as thhe droids had both ducks seemingly trapped.

Chameleon muttered under his breath, hoping that maybe something would go wrong and the blond brat would either escape or perish.

Pucks and bullets suddenly flew overhead.

"It's those blasted ducks!" roared Dragaunus, pulling out his own laser and shooting back.

"At least we get a chance to pulverize!" said Seige, joining in.

Wraith waved his staff and fired towards the two ducks and the human.

A fireball erupted.

"Look out!" shouted Canard, ducking out of the way.

Duke raised his saber and knocked the fireball off course. It crashed to the floor and fizzled, leaving behind scorch marks.

"Those lizards still out-gun us," said Klegghorn, firing a couple more shots.

"We need just one more person and we'd be more evenly matched," agreed Duke.

"We've got them cornered!" whooped Chameleon, happily firing away.

A large click to his right caught his attention, and a door swung open, slamming into his face.

"Ow!" he cried out, as he flew back towards Seige and Wriath, knocking them back.

"Dragaunus!" shouted a female voice. "Figures I'd run into you."

"Mallory!" shouted Canard. "Over here!"

Mallory pulled out ran from behind the door and towards her team captain, firing at the Saurians.

Dragaunus roared as he turned his attentions to her and shot off several rounds.

At that moment, the droids that had been following her burst through the wall.

"Blasted ducks!" cursed Dragaunus, as he teleported out of the way. Chameleon, Seige, and Wraith followed suit.

Duke leapt towards one of the droids and slashed through the metal frame. "These dumb robots are always easier to destroy when the brains run away!"

"Not that their brains are much to begin with!" added Mallory, kicking one of the droids out of commision.

Canard just shook his head with a small smile. "Glad you could join us," he said to Mallory.

X

Nosedive scrambled into the hall way. The smoke and dust clouded his vision and made breathing difficult. He coughed and felt around, hoping that he wouldn't trip, fall, and get trampled on by the droids following him.

He hurried through, greatful that that smoke was also impeding the aim of the droids had. Several blasts went over his head, and he ducked as he ran.

Nosedive turned a corner and skidded to a stop. A shadowy figure dropped in front of him, eyes blazing yellow from under a hood.

Nosedive's breath got caught in his throat as a memory resurfaced.

This was the one that had started the whole nightmare with Dragaunus and Darkflame. . .

A clawed hand reached out and grabbed him by the collar.

Nosedive froze, unable to move, terrified beyond belief.

A soft menacing voice emitted from the lips hidden in the shadows. "Your return will disrupt my current plans. But your death will destroy my future ones."

A short moment later, Nosedive found himself being shoved up into a nearby vent.

He shook his head as the figure merged with the dust, disappearing completely. The droids passed under him.

He turned and crawled to safety.

X

Wildwing was just turning one corner of the mall when something dropped in front of him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" said the figure as Wildwing brought up the puck blaster.

"Dive?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, bro!" exclaimed Nosedive, clutching his chest. "I know you're mad about all this, but I swear, none of this was my fault!"

Nosedive let out something that suspisciouly sounded like a squeak when Wildwing suddenly pulled him in for a tight hug.

"Thank goodness you're okay!" he said.

"Uh, yeah," responded Nosedive. _Thanks to whoever that creature was..._

Nosedive chose to remain quiet about his savior. Whoever it was, it's reasons for helping him weren't for his sake. And he had a feeling Wildwing would be even more paranoid then he already was.

"Droids at twelve o'clock!" interrupted Tanya.

Nosedive whirled around. "I lost my blaster!" he said, as Wildwing moved in front of him, activating his shield.

"Stay behind me then," ordered Wildwing, firing several pucks.

Nosedive watched as Grin, Wildwing, and Tanya opened fire on the droids, feeling helpless and annoyed.

The three ducks made a quick work out of the droids, finishing them off as they randomly shot back, having lost contact with Dragaunus.

A couple moments later, Canard contacted Wildwing.

"Everything is clear here," said the team captain.

"Same here," responded Wildwing, looking at Nosedive.

Nosedive gave a sheepish shrug.

X

Dive locked himself up in his room, thinking about the tension that was between Wildwing and Canard. He didn't understand it, and apparantly, neither did Canard. And any time he tried to bring it up with Wildwing, his big brother got all defensive on him.

It was strange, finding the roles reversed.

He knew something was wrong with his brother, but he had no idea how to fix it.

"Figures" he said out loud. "'Oh, something's wrong with Dive, I've got to fix it no matter what!' Sheesh. Something's wrong with him and he won't let me near him!"

Nosedive plopped himself onto his bed. "I'll figure out what is your problem, bro. It's time I return the favor."

X

Draguanus roared as he threw a hapless droid against the wall.

It broke into pieces.

"Curse them!" he practically screeched. "Curse those Mighty Ducks and all their ancestors! And curse that Nightbloom for always being right!"

Draguanus took several deep breathes, his eyes blazing with the fire of anger. "She comes promising help, and still, nothing but failure, claiming it's all my fault. And my henchmen are agreeing with her! Fine. I will forget Darkflame for now. But Nightbloom has got to go. . ."

In the next episode of The Mighty Ducks:

Wildwing sat near the ice rink, staring out at the ice. He let out a sigh. Was he mistaken? _I thought things would have been better..._

* * *

"I don't know what's going on with your brother," said Canard. "But it is worrying me."

Nosedive nodded as he turned to look out of the Migrator's window. He let out a sigh.

* * *

Dragaunus whirled around. "I want you gone, _Nightbloom_!"

Nightbloom stared at him for a moment.

"Lord Dragaunus," interrupted Wraith.


	8. Ep 7: Alpha

Characters of Mighty Ducks the Animated Series belong to Disney and its subsideraries. Nightbloom is my only creation.

**Alpha**

Lost in thought, Draguanus glared at nothing in particular. Instead of things getting better, they seemed to getting worse.

Nightbloom's plans came so close to succeeding, but then something unexpected would destroy them. And it always seemed to happen when she relinquished the plot for him to complete.

Was he not executing them properly?

Of course he was! But those brainless idiot henchmen of his were always messing things up.

But if he put all the blame on them... he was well aware of how things were starting to turn. The looks given to him by Wraith, Seige, and Chameleon made it clear that they were starting to doubt him.

And he cursed himself for making the idiots give the female wench a chance.

Lately, they have actually begun paying attention to her instead of him.

Now, he wondered, what were her real intentions? Did she truly come to help him? Or was she trying to discredit him in front of his crew. Maybe it was time he tested her loyalty.

X

Nightbloom watched the monitors, looking at the human news.

She knew Dragaunus was stalking around the Raptor, most likely stewing over something he didn't like. She wouldn't be to surprised if it were her he was disgruntled about.

Not that it mattered.

She wasn't here to make him like her.

X

Things at the Pond were quiet. Everyone was off doing their own things.

And here he was, alone.

Somewhere, deep inside the pond, both Duke and Mallory were sparring. While Duke excelled in using his saber, Canard believed that he needed a little practice with actual hand to hand combat.

So Mallory cheerfully offered her services.

Wildwing couldn't help but smile slightly at that thought. Duke wasn't too happy with the situation, but at the same time, he saw and understood the reasoning.

Wildwing had only watched a few minutes before giving them some privacy. If Mallory put Duke to the floor, he knew that his ego would be bruised. He would feel a bit better if there were no other witnesses around. And he knew that Mallory wouldn't gloat about whatever victories she accomplished.

That's how things were.

Wildwing knew his team mates like the back of his hand. He knew how they thought, he could almost predict how they would act. . . but then again...

In another section of the Pond, Nosedive was doing something that Wildwing would have never thought to have him attempt to do.

Meditate.

He was sitting next to Grin in a lotus blossom position, eyes closed and practicing his breathing.

He said that Canard asked him to try it.

That strange pang went through Wildwing's heart when he heard that.

When Canard first arrived, he had been glad. However, the treatment he gave his younger brother was disheartening.

When Canard began to treat Nosedive better, he was happy at first.

Now...

Well, he had to admit, he was jealous.

Wildwing sat near the skating rink, staring out at the ice. He let out a sigh. Was he mistaken? _I thought things would have been better..._

Maybe he shouldn't have given up the mask so easily. After all, it was a year that he was team captain to the entire group. Canard really didn't get the chance. And yet he came in, took over, caused some problems which only now he was admitting to himself.

And now it felt like he was taking over the friendship and bond he and Nosedive shared.

Wildwing clenched his fists, then tried to relax. Sooner or later, he would have to let Dive out of the nest, so to speak. It would be embarrassing for the young drake to have an over-protective brother giving him the 3rd degree when he decided to go out on dates and stuff.

But no matter how hard he tried to reason with his feelings, he couldn't let it go.

X

Duke groaned as he picked himself up the floor. "You're enjoying this," he said.

Mallory didn't even smile. She had adopted her soldier face. "You'll just have to guess on that," she said. "You almost had me that time, though."

Duke shook his head as he readied himself into a more defensive mode. Fighting like this without his saber as back up just wasn't his style. It felt odd.

Mallory charged at him.

To quote Nosedive, this bites!

X

Nosedive cracked an eye open.

Grin looked like a statue. It looked like he wasn't breathing!

Nosedive opened his other eye and tilted his head as he observed Grin meditating.

Who knew that silence can seem so... loud?

Nosedive watched for a few more moments. He then slowly pulled his legs out of the lotus position, trying to get some feeling back into them. His eyes stayed on Grin as he then pulled himself to crawling position. He was tired of meditating. He wanted to watch TV.

Nosedive slowly started to stand up, his eyes focused on the exit. Just a few steps to the door, and he'd be free.

A hand slammed down on his back and plopped him back on his seat.

Nosedive sat stunned for a moment, Grin looking like he had not moved an inch.

"Ow!"

X

Dragaunus watched the news monitor with a lack of interest, until it showed a shot of a new satellite. It was supposed to gather energy from the sun and use it to blast stray asteroids away from earth.

"Now there's something that I could use, only point it to this blasted earth!" he growled. "But those accursed ducks would be there before I even..."

He paused mid rant.

A sly grin grew on his face.

"Yes..." he said to himself. "Those ducks would be there attempting to stop me. But what if..."

X

It was somewhat of a surprise when Klegghorn contacted Wildwing about the satellite. While it was now getting common for him to tell them of some grand break out, it wasn't common to hear about a potential threat.

"I know you've mentioned how Lizard Lips tends to take interest in these things," he said. "I don't have enough man power right now for proper guard duty. The mayor's getting ready for a parade and most of my staff is going to be posted along the route."

"We understand, Captain," said Wildwing. "We'll definitely stand by in case Dragaunus takes interest."

"The take off is scheduled in three days, so until then..."

"Gotcha."

X

All of the ducks were gathered in place, listening to both Canard and Wildwing.

"For the next three days, we'll be splitting surveillance shifts. Now, we can't be certain that Dragaunus would actually go for this, but we can't ignore it," said Canard.

"Klegghorn already told us that he doesn't have enough people to cover the take off, so it will be up to us."

"So who goes first?" asked Tanya, looking up at the two drakes.

Canard checked his list. "Uh, Nosedive and I will take first night, Wildwing and Duke will take second night, and you, Mallory, and Grin will take the third night. If those Saurians do attack, itﾒll most likely be the night before the launch. By then weﾒll be ready for it."

Wildwing nodded. "And don't forget to call for back up," he added, looking a bit unhappy.

No one but Duke seemed to notice, and even then, Wildwing didn't see the look that Duke sent his way.

X

"Firepassion Nightbloom," Dragaunus said with a bit of a drawl.

"Yes?" the female responded, her cold eyes looking his way.

"Are you really here to aid me, or for something else?"

"I'm not here to take over your crew if that's what you are getting at," she answered in return.

Dragaunus's jaw set.

"And I am forbidden to tell an outright lie before you even think of accusing me of such."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Dragaunus said smoothly. "There's a satellite that is set to go off in three days. Numerous times I've tried to capture such a thing, but each and every time, those accursed mallards ruin everything! I'm curious to know, is there any way I can observe you in action? I mean, what better way to learn than by your prime example."

Nightbloom remained silent for a moment. "No."

Dragaunus did his best to not lose his temper. "You won't do anything to help in this at all?" he asked, trying to keep the strain out of his voice.

Nightbloom remained silent. "I can help you steal the codes for the machinery this one time. It's been a while since I've had any interaction with the outside."

"Thank you," Dragaunus said, hating himself for it. This wasn't going according to plan, but it still could.

"Make sure you don't plan the attack for the last day."

"Why not?"

"Because that will be when they are most prepared."

X

Night one was well under way. Canard and Nosedive sat in the Migrator, scanning the screens and physically looking out the windows.

Canard used the mask to check for any other unseen details.

At first, Nosedive seemed full of energy, but as the hours passed, boredom settled in and he was fidgeting.

Canard sighed in annoyance. "Sit still, will you?" he asked, turning to face the youth.

"I can't help it, I'm bored!"

"Welcome to adulthood," Canard muttered.

Nosedive stuck his tongue out.

A few moments of silence reigned.

The Nosedive spoke out, a bit timid.

"Are things all right with you and Wing?" he asked.

Canard turned to Dive. "What?"

Nosedive glanced downwards. "I noticed Wing hasn't been, well, acting the same around you. Or me."

Canard looked out the window. "You too, huh?"

"Yeah."

Canard winced at the tone in Nosedive's voice. It sounded depressed.

He should have known better than to hope that Nosedive wouldn't notice that much. But then again, with the bond the two shared, it would be ludicrous to think that neither one would know that something was wrong.

Canard decided to approach the subject honestly.

"I don't know what's going on with your brother," he said. "But it is worrying me."

Nosedive nodded as he turned to look out of the Migrator's window. He let out a sigh.

"He won't talk to me when I ask him what's wrong. I mean, he already treats me like a little hatchling, and now he won't even say anything serious around me."

"You guys always have serious talks?"

"Well, no, not really. I mean, there wasn't anything to be serious about. He'd just listen to me whenever I complained 'bout this stinkin' planet, or the newest comic I just got, or even Bernie the Bear reruns. And sometimes we'd talk about mom and dad. But. . . but we can't even have a conversation like before."

Canard remained silent.

It was more than obvious that Wing's behaviour was disturbing Nosedive tremendously. Observing the youth, Canard could see how his face was hidden beneath his bangs, shoulders slumped, and back hunched over.

It was as if the topic and the feeling produced was causing him physical pain.

And chances were high that the young duck was probably on the verge of tears.

But Canard did his best not to say anything comforting at the moment. It was still too risky. If he said the wrong thing, the teen could break out into tears and curse him for exposing his weakness.

But if Nosedive cried openly without further provocation, then Canard would step in and help him save face.

The Migrator remained silent for a few more minutes.

After one shuddering breath, Nosedive looked up, eyes looking glassy, but no apparent tears.

"I'm starting to think he's disappointed in me."

Canard shook his head. "I can only guess that the problem is with him, Dive. He seems to be blaming himself for something..."

"Yeah, my worthlessness!"

Canard sighed. "Nosedive, you are not worthless. Don't think that. I was wrong when I first got here, I told you this already. I treated you like dirt because I was jealous of what you and Wildwing shared.

"I'm not going to pretend to know everything that is going on, but please know this... Wildwing does care for you, I doubt that will ever change. Whatever is going through in his mind, he just needs to sort it out, and we have to be there for him. He's trying to do this on his own, and it's obviously not working. We're both being hurt." Canard winced at the memory of being punched by Wing. "But you, most of all. Don't doubt your abilities, Dive. I feel stupid for ever making you feel that."

Nosedive looked up at Canard and gave him a shaky smile.

X

Dragaunus, Chameleon, Wraith, Seige, and Nightbloom stood in a circle.

"Nightbloom, you agreed to help us by stealing the codes, which most likely can be obtained through the computers here. Seige, Chameleon, you'll be out here, trying to rig this chip onto the satellite. I'll be with Wraith, retrieving data from this computer room on operating the blasted thing."

"You're helping out with this?" Chameleon asked in surprise.

Dragaunus glared.

"Not that you don't ever, you know, not help, or stuff..." Chameleon tried to cover.

Nightbloom just looked at the plans and nodded once.

"Tomorrow night," she said, before slowly vanishing.

"Tomorrow night," repeated Dragaunus. _Tomorrow night we'll see if you truly are here to help me out._

X

Night two seemed about as quiet as night one, at least according the to descriptions that Canard and Nosedive gave.

For the entire night, Wing had been pacing, just waiting for the Drake-1 alarm to go off. It never did, but his nerves were almost shattered by the time Dive arrived back at the Pond. He was not pleased to see how unhappy Dive looked at the sight of him.

He wondered what happened between his brother and Canard.

The look on Canard's face didn't help any. If anything, it made him more confused. Canard looked almost upset and lost in thought.

For one moment, Wildwing wondered if they had gotten into an argument. And for that one moment, Wildwing felt a sense of relief. But it disappeared just as quickly when Nosedive turned to Canard and told him "Goodnight."

Wildwing had followed him to his room to wish him pleasant dreams. While Nosedive gave him a smile as thanks, it didn't seem to hold the same power as his grins and looks had before hand.

Something was bothering Nosedive, and Wildwing wasn't too sure of how to handle it anymore, not with the uncertainty in his own self.

His thoughts were interrupted when Duke gave a soft cough.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Pardon?"

"You've been acting a little weird, Wing."

The former team captain clammed up and looked away. "Nothing," he said.

Duke shook his head. "Wing, I hate to tell you this, but you're making both Canard and Dive miserable."

Wildwing whirled around to face him. "_I'm _making them miserable?" he asked, incredulous.

Duke shrugged. "I've seen the kid, and he ain't happy. He's trying his hardest to make you proud of him, and it's as if you're shooting him down."

Wildwing didn't know how to react.

On one hand, he wanted to punch Duke as he had with Canard. On the other hand, he felt ashamed.

"I'm not trying to shoot him down," he responded, deciding to stick with defense.

"Well, you're aiming pretty clear," Duke snorted. "I mean, something's bugging you, that I can see. I don't know if it has anything to do with Canard or Dive, but both are acting weird around you."

Wildwing remained silent.

"And, well, I don't even understand you. I mean, just a while ago, weren't you taking Canard's side? Even though he and the kid clearly didn't get along."

"Minor lapse in judgment," Wildwing muttered.

"And weren't you asking Canard to be more considerate about Dive, to give him a chance? I see him doing that now."

Wildwing didn't answer.

Duke suddenly realized what the problem was. "You're worried about the amount of time he's spending with him, aren't you?"

Wildwing looked at him.

While he didn't answer, it was clear to Duke that he had guessed the right thing.

Duke just shook his head. "Wing, I doubt being possessive about your brother will make him want to spend time with you," he said, bluntly.

"I'm not being possessive!"

"You wanted to have the kid in a bubble!"

"I was joking."

"Sure you were..."

"Listen here..."

"No, you listen! Canard's right. Nosedive is proving himself, and by the looks of it, you're impeding his chance of becoming a good soldier."

"He shouldn't have had to be one in the first place."

"Stars, Wing... you need to get rid of this guilt you carry. No one should go through the Saurian Invasion, but we did, and he did, and he now has to grow up as a soldier and he needs to grow up as a good one."

Silence reigned.

Wildwing looked up at Duke. "I guess I just miss being needed," he said softly.

Duke chuckled. "Wing, you're always needed, even if you don't know it. You may want to be the kid's protector till you're both old and grey, but it ain't gonna happen. He does, however, need you to provide him support as he gets older. Don't forget, he still has to go through the embarrassing phase of his post adolescent molt."

Wildwing couldn't help but crack a grin. "I suppose you're right," he murmured. "I just. . . I don't know."

Duke leaned back in his chair.

"The kid went through a lot during the past year, and we didn't help him that much. We all need to give him space and treat him more of an equal than some fragile victim so that he can grow. But it does start with you, Wing. So be a big brother again and stay by his side. Don't lead, nor follow."

"Are you becoming Grin or something?" Wildwing asked with a sardonic grin.

Duke just smiled.

Wildwing leaned back in his seat, a pondering look on his face.

Duke tried to observe his features, hoping that he was able to talk some sense into the mallard.

Unfortunately, he couldn't tell if he got through or not as their peaceful night suddenly drew to a halt.

"Drake-1's alarm just reported a teleporting inside the compound!" came Tanya's voice through the Migrator's com unit.

"Hang tight, back-up is on the way," added Canard's.

"It might be too late," muttered Wildwing. He turned to Duke. "Come on, at least we can make visual confirmation."

"But Wing!" Duke hissed, as the white mallard moved out of the Migrator. "And you use to be so level headed," the former thief muttered, following him.

X

Chameleon and Seige teleported underneath the rocket's thrusters.

"Why is it that we can't exactly teleport to the top instead of having to have to climb up from the bottom?" Chameleon wondered.

Seige actually remained silent in thought. "Good question," he replied. "Enough delay, start climbing! Here, I'll give you a boost."

"Ah, thanks, bud-DEE!"

Chameleon went yelling as Seige grabbed him by the collar and hurled him up a few feet into the air.

The smaller lizard latched onto one of the metal posts, cursing inwardly at the so called help he received from Seige.

"No respect, no respect for the little people," he muttered.

X

Dragaunus and Wraith appeared inside a computer room.

Wraith sniffed in disgust as he starting trying to find and extract information from the systems. He still hated machinery with a passion, but in this time and era, there was no choice but to handle it.

Off to one side, Dragaunus was looking at security screens.

"Blast it all, where is she?" he muttered.

"Lord?"

"The wench!"

"She should be where you told her to be," Wraith said carefully.

Dragaunus scanned all the screens and paused. One screen was bouncing around, as if there were interference. "Blast it," he muttered. "Now how am I suppose to watch her."

X

Nightbloom looked around the room.

Using a bit of magic, she wrecked temporary havoc with the security camera above her, and she checked to see if there was another camera in sight.

Despite the non-threat, she did not want her face caught on any type of data holding device. Not to mention, she didn't want Dragaunus seeing what she did, or didn't do.

The female Saurian made her way to the controls.

Her fingers ran gently across the keyboards and buttons.

Humans were interesting creatures. So simple in life, but complex in imagination. They definitely showed the potential to achieve the status of other planets. They were children compared to other races. And vulnerable.

If the Saurian army decided to attack, they wouldn't stand a chance. Puckworld had weapons, no matter how crude, and ships of flight for inner and outer space. Humans only had their airplanes.

Their weapons were efficient enough.

But they still would perish, if not through war, then by choice. That was what she gathered by observing Earth's inhabitants.

She didn't care much for this planet, but she knew that Dragaunus definitely posed a threat to the humans.

At least in this city.

She checked the clock on the wall.

It was precisely one minute that the duck's computers would have registered the teleportation of Dragaunus and his goons. If the Migrator was already lurking nearby, then the rest of the group would be arriving by air.

She would have to be quick, and careful.

X

Duke and Wildwing could see two figures ascending the launching tower.

"Those two look like the Chameleon and Seige," said Wildwing.

"Yeah, but where are the others?" Duke wondered out loud.

"I wish I had the mask right about now," muttered the white avian.

"I can take a wild guess," said Duke. "They're probably in the computer labs gathering info on this rocket."

Wildwing growled in frustration. "That, of course, leaves separating out of the question."

Duke's good eye widened for a moment. "Well, now. . .I say you're up to making some rash decisions."

Their com units beeped.

"We're almost there, bro," said Dive through the units.

"Glad to hear that."

A scant few moments later, Wing and Duke could pick out the Aerowing from the sky.

X

Nightbloom fiddled around with the controls, or at least, that was what one would call it.

Bringing up supposed confidential information was boring, and she could do it in a matter of minutes with the most primitive of appliances such as this one.

It just wasn't worth it to do something so unchallenging.

She glanced at the clock again.

The ducks should be arriving. It was time to head back to the Raptor and watch how Dragaunus handled the situation.

X

Seige and Chameleon were the unfortunate ones to be attacked first.

"Hey, boyos!" Dive shouted in his sing song voice, startling them to the point of almost falling off.

"Ew, it's those meddlesome kids!" quoted Chameleon, yanking out his laser and firing off a few shots.

Seige growled as he too began shooting off randomly, his aim off.

Down below, Dive and the others were taking cover behind the Migrator.

"Looks like someone needs to get an eye check," joked Dive.

Tanya snorted. "Like we really need him to have good aim."

"Mallory!" shouted Canard.

Mallory peered around the Migrator and fired of two rounds from her puck blaster, months of training being used as she had more confidence in her aim than she did before.

"Yeow!" she heard Chameleon yelp, as his laser blaster fell downwards.

Her second shot hit somewhere in Seige's vicinity.

"The chip!" he shouted. "Those blasted ducks! Why can't they find an oven and roast!"

Upon hearing that at least one of them was unarmed, all seven team members came out from behind the Migrator and began firing non stop.

Chameleon morphed into Curly, making a scared sound. "Yeh-yeh-yeh... we better amscary!"

Seige just growled, hating to admit defeat when they barely had the chance to fight back.

Both of them vanished into green light as they teleported out of sight.

"Come on! Let's go after Dragaunus!" ordered Canard, as he headed towards the compound.

Just about everyone immediately followed after him.

Wildwing delayed for a few moments, at least until Duke glanced back at him with a questioning look.

X

"I have it, Lord Dragaunus," said Wraith, ejecting out a CD. He rose out of the seat as the red Saurian over lord turned around.

He opened his jaw to say something when a puck came blasting through the door, knocking the disk out of Wraith's hand.

"Not so fast, sleaze," growled out Canard.

Dragaunus let out a furious roar. "Why must you always interfere!" He ripped out a monitor from the control panels and sent it hurling at the Mighty Ducks.

They all scattered, taking cover behind the counters, immediately firing their puck blasters.

Wraith sent a giant fireball as he found himself pinned under a volley of charged pucks.

He muttered to himself as he realized that Draguanus would probably be blaming him for the loss of the disk.

"Retreat!" he heard Dragaunus order form behind another desk.

Wraith clicked on his teleporter and disappeared.

Dragaunus raised his arm to click on his own teleporter when a rebounding puck knocked into his wrist and shattered it.

"Blast it!" he shouted, firing off his own laser blaster.

This was just what he _didn't _need. To be trapped like some fool in a room with no other escape than the door the ducks were blocking.

Something exploded overhead and showered him with electrical sparks.

"Watch it, you pea-brained mallards!" he shouted.

"Minimize damage!" he heard the one called Wildwing shout.

"We almost have him," yelled Canard.

Wretched duck... why didn't he stay in dimensional limbo?

"But we've always had a rule to minimize collateral damage!"

"Bro, not now!"

Dragaunus froze. Was it his imagination or were those two and the kid arguing?

A flash of green caught his attention. Chameleon was crouched next to him. "Yo, Bo-ack!"

Dragaunus seized the smaller saurian by the throat and the two teleported out of the room.

X

"We can pay for the damages," commented Canard, unfazed by the glowering look that both Phil and Klegghorn had.

The others, with the exception of Wildwing, looked embarrassed.

The former team captain seemed calm, but there was a definite air of tension in him.

As for Nosedive...

He had the appearance of a child caught between two parents' contradicting responses.

X

Nightbloom watched as Dragaunus paced around the Raptor. "My plans have been ruined again!" he shouted. "And you were of no help!" he accused, whirling around to point at the female.

Nightbloom produced a disk. "You asked me to help you retrieve this, not fight with the ducks."

Dragaunus froze, a tic forming in the corner of his eye.

He held out a claw.

And watched in disbelief as Nightbloom snapped it in half.

"Of course, your failure in achieving the parts and blue prints pretty much makes this worthless."

Seige, Wraith, and Chameleon took a step back as a vein began to pulse above his eye.

Dragaunus roared. "I want you gone, Nightbloom!"

Nightbloom stared at him for a moment.

"You claim to come here and help but what are your real intentions, you cold blooded wench?"

There was quick glimmer of amusement in her eyes before it hardened.

"Lord Dragaunus," interrupted Wraith, trying to calm down his lord.

Nightbloom raised her hand, silencing the practitioner of dark arts.

Dragaunus seethed at how quickly Wraith became silent listening to her.

"I told you quite clearly when I arrived, Dragaunus," she said with a bit of a sneer. "I came seeking either a worthy opponent, or to aid in a worthy cause. You have made it clear that you are, however, an unworthy ally in any sort of business. Accept your faults and learn when to stop. I never had a need for you, except to keep myself from boredom. And barely at that. I'll be gone from sight, Sir, but I will be watching your every step. When I think the timing is right, I will return."

With a swirling purple mist, Nightbloom faded away.

Wraith turned to Dragaunus. "Sir, was that wise?" he asked.

Dragaunus just growled.

"We don't need a female like her!" he stated, before turning and leaving the room.

In the Next Episode of the Mighty Ducks:

"Come on, babes! It'll be fun!"

Duke snorted. "Yeah right."

"Well, it can't be that bad, dancing and stuff," commented Tanya, doubtfully.

Phil got on his knees. "It's rare to be invited to shinagans like these! I'm only able to come if the whole team shows up, please!"

Canard rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine."

Richard Sawyer glanced at his long time partner, Jarod Hinks. With a smirk, he turned to his newest associates.

"As I've explained, we've received word that a deal is being made in weapons, and the two groups are going to make the trade off at the city hall, where a minor celebrity party is being held. Seems they want to use the cover of that hustle and bustle to go in and leave. Of course, I'm going to need every bit of information one can find, as you can imagine security will be tight with this list of invites. But that's what makes it fun."

Tanya and Mallory coughed as they stood up, dresses torn. Both of them immediately switched into battle gear.

Without another word, both of them rushed forward to begin saving the innocent people that were trapped underneath the room's ceiling.


	9. Ep 8: Leadership Part 1: Under Pressure

Disclaimers: The characters of Mighty Ducks the Animated Series belong to Disney. These works of fiction are done without monetary gain and are solely for the purpose of entertainment.

Leadership Part 1: Under Pressure

Feelings at the Pond were tense for various reasons. The main one was that Dragaunus had remained quiet for two weeks. That caused paranoia within the team. The second reason was the growing tension between Wildwing and Canard. No one understood what was going on. Nosedive kept finding excuses to hang with the other ducks if only to get away from his ever growing weirder brother. He couldn't help but wonder if maybe Dragaunus had possessed Wildwing somehow.

Grin meditated more, claiming that the aura around him was heavy.

Despite the need to be away, there were days like this where there was no choice but to be in the same room. After all, Phil couldn't have a team meeting if the team wasn't there to begin with. So there he was, completely ignoring the weird atmosphere as he waved an envelope in his hands. His face was positively glowing.

"Guys!" he was saying, full of enthusiasm. "We have been invited to the biggest, best party for people like us! It's the Anaheim Annual Charity Event!"

"Charity?" asked Duke. "Since when do you care about charity?"

"Hey, I'm a good guy at heart!"

"Yeah, but usually your events involve us giving our time. Not money."

"Pssh. Of course! And we've been invited and I'll have to part with some cash for us to attend, but think of what we could gain in the end! I'm sure I can schmooze some new benefactors and endorsements from a few people."

"That sounds more like Phil," grunted Nosedive.

"I don't know," commented Canard.

"There will be a lot of top people there! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah right," Duke snorted.

"Well, it can't be that bad. Wait… a ball? Doesn't that mean there might be some dancing?" Tanya asked, looking doubtful.

Phil got to his knees. "Guys, I'm begging you! It's rare to be invited to shenanigans like these! I'm only able to come if the whole team shows up, please!"

Canard rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine."

"I have a bad feeling about this," grunted Wildwing.

"Well, given our track record, anything Phil invites us to is bound to bring us trouble," Mallory stated.

"Hey, I resent that! If anything, you should be grateful that I haven't dropped you guys off with all the indigestion you've given me."

"Well, if we're such heartburn, then maybe we shouldn't go to this party," said Canard with an amused grin on his face.

"Boobulas! Did I say indigestion? I meant excitement!"

X

People argued with each other from the windows at a rundown apartment building. Despite that, no one was aware of the meeting that was taking place in the basement of the same building.

Fourteen men stood grouped together, listening to two more. Most of them looked like they served time, or had been involved in a war due to the number of tattoos or scars that they had. A couple just looked like they never saw the light of day, pale skin, greasy hair, lank bodies. But they all possessed a cold glint in their eyes.

Standing in front of them were Richard Sawyer and the recent escapee, Jarrod Hinks.

"Why should we trust you?" asked one of the men.

"I don't expect you to since you don't know me. But considering that all of you have skills that I would like to use in the future, be assured that I won't betray you. If one of you gets captured, I'll find a way to break you free. If you betray your fellow team mate, I will seek retribution. If you join me, we will be similar to a pack. All or nothing. "

The men looked at one another.

Jarrod straightened up. "I've worked with Sawyer for years. The only time I ended up in jail was to test someone else and he used his resources to break me free. After this job, if you guys don't want to stay on board, it'll be your choice to walk away with your earnings. We won't demand anything else of you. Unless you betray us, of course. Go your own way or follow us. Take this opportunity to decide whether to trust each other or not."

"What is it you want us to do?" asked one of the smaller framed men.

Richard grinned. "The wealthy are throwing a charity event. I say it will be the best opportunity to grab some quick cash and hostages for ransom. I already have five inside men. It's just that we need a bigger crew to pull this off."

"You really think we can?"

"With the right diversion, yeah, I think we can."

"With a crew this big, how do you plan on escaping?" asked one of the men.

"We have some high connections," Sawyer responded with a big grin.

X

Nightbloom watched as the men that met in the basement of the building began to head out. She narrowed her eyes as she noticed that the human she had used before, Sawyer, did not come out. But according to her sensors, he was moving away from the building.

Purple mist swirled around her and her physical form disappeared. The cloud began to move down towards the building, seeping into the small window that led into the basement.

X

Sawyer looked around as the droids kept working at building a tunnel towards the hotel where the Charity Ball was going to be held. He stopped as he approached the massive red figure in front of him.

"Are you satisfied with the progress?" Sawyer asked.

Despite the look of distaste on the red lizards face, Sawyer knew better than to speak with the same disgust and disrespect. He spoke without sarcasm and kept a neutral façade. After all, how much trust can one trust a member of the species wanting to decimate the world one lives on?

"Your men have almost finished installing the cameras that I needed. They have proven to be most effective."

Sawyer allowed a small smile to show through. "You have yet to fail me in providing what I need, Lord Dragaunus. So I will do everything in my power to not fail you."

"I will destroy you if you do."

"And I'm very aware of that, sir."

"Where are the others?"

"They don't need to know everything that I do."

"I see."

Sawyer looked around one more time.

"Do you mind if I ask why you need so many cameras?"

"Just using a technique that's been used by all great teams."

X

"Ugh!" groaned Dive, as he trudged his way into the rec room, followed by the other tired mallards of his team. One by one they all plopped down onto the couch, looking haggard and worn out.

"How many days before the torture fest?" Duke asked.

"Four more days," moaned Canard. "Who knew that shopping would be more taxing then practice. I've got it in my mind to cancel practice tonight just to recover!"

"Really?"

"No."

Duke let out a tired chuckled as Dive sulked.

Their attention was attracted by the sound of two squealing females. Tanya and Mallory entered with their bags of treasures and hurried to their dormitories. All the males followed them with their eyes, revulsion and horror clearly visible. "You know, I really think females are the stronger of all species," said Wildwing.

"Or the more masochistic," added Nosedive.

"Don't let Mallory catch you saying that," warned Duke.

A moment later, Phil finally entered, loaded down with bags and boxes. "Boobulas," he stated. "Don't just leave these laying around! Put them away before they get wrinkled or trampled!"

Nosedive dove behind one of the couches. "I don't want to see those bags until the day of the party!"

The rest of the mallards agreed.

X

Richard approached one of his newer associates, observing the younger man typing furiously on his computer. "Well, Gene?" he asked. He was one of the youngest recruits, fresh out of high school. Or at least he would have been if he hadn't been serving time in juvie. Shoulder length black hair, thick glasses, and pale skin, the kid looked like an easy target.

Richard researched him and knew that although physically he was outclassed, intelligence wise he was perfect. Of course that earned the kid the nickname Gene, short for Genius. The way Richard saw it, until they completely proved themselves and joined the team, there was no need to be on first name basis, even if he did know all of their names. Let them earn the right to call him something other than Sawyer.

The young man turned to look at him, his harmless high school geek appearance betrayed by the cold and apathetic voice he had. "Security won't be much of an issue even with the added agents that are reporting in for the task. Smokey reported that a couple of gangs are taking the bait."

Smokey was the other young recruit, in and out of juvie for arson. He had yet to be captured as an adult so Richard prided himself on getting him before that. He also knew the streets and was able to sneak his way around gang territories and gather information. Smokey was working with Arms, a weapons dealer with a legitimate business, as well as a secret illegitimate one. While he had his own inventory, Arms was helping spread the false information that there was to be a secret weapons trade not far off from where the Charity Ball was going to take place. He was offering an incentive for anyone who could acquire him some goods.

Cove and Black Dog were two ex-covert ops agents who went rogue after retrieving almost a million dollars during a siege. Hard times can bring the worst of good people. They were helping to train some of the other new recruits how to scale down the side of a building, scale a fence, and set up explosives that will help get entry without hurting themselves. Any skill that might be needed was up to them to train, especially with the information that Gene was giving them.

Of course, Sawyer's trump card was Fred. Not really his name at all, but considering that he had ties to the FBI, he could sniff up some clues to several operations, including the DEA and Home Security.

Too bad the lizards weren't going to help with the actual heist. That would have made things so much easier.

X

Captain Klegghorn eyed the badge in his hand before looking up at the woman in front of him. She had light brown hair pulled back into a tight bun. Hazel eyes looked at him sharply, and there was little make up on her face. She wasn't a looker in terms of anything memorable, but he did find her no nonsense attitude attractive. She was a tough cookie and the real deal, not someone playing hardball.

Too bad she was a fed.

"Why are the feds interested in covering an event that us locals can handle?" he asked, handing back her badge.

"That doesn't concern you," stated Agent Maureen Belle, giving him a haughty look as she took her badge back. "Then again, considering your current record… The safety of certain celebs residing here now warrant national protection whenever possible."

There was a moment of silence. "Are you talking about the Ducks?" Klegghorn asked, incredulously.

"We are officially providing them asylum and they have been targeted by terrorists, international and intergalactic."

"I would think a higher up group would take more charge in those matters then you guys," Klegghorn commented.

"Like the CIA and NASA? Depends on the nature of events. We are appropriate enough for this current detail. And since we are in charge, I trust that you will stay clear of our way."

Klegghorn narrowed his eyes. "I can keep my people clear, but wouldn't it be better to have them nearby for backup, just in case?"

"It's not necessary, but we will call should something arise."

"I'm sure you will," grumbled Klegghorn.

X

Richard looked at his team. "Well guys, tonight is the night. Each of you knows exactly what you're to do. We've got Team A doing the diversion, Team B infiltrating and manning the security control room, Team C rounding up the cash and hostages, and Team D providing cover. Rendezvous here where our vehicles will be staged."

"What about the tunnels?"

"My friend will take care of them to give us time to escape. We'll be given refuge aboard a ship that will make it difficult for the police to track us and rescue the hostages. Just kindly remember that twenty-five per cent of what we make is going to him."

"What? We weren't told this!"

Several of the men began to tense up and look at one another.

"Trust me. It's a bargain considering who is giving us a hiding place."

"Oh yeah? Who."

Richard motioned for the men to look behind them. They gave a start when a large shadow loomed over them, and Lord Dragaunus stepped into some light.

Complaints stopped short while two of the men whistled.

"You weren't kidding when you mentioned connections," one of them commented.

Richard grinned. "And before you argue that he is only hiding us, he is the one that provided the droids to dig the tunnels in such a short amount of time."

"I do have one request in terms of hostages," said Dragaunus. "As you may know, a certain team has been invited to the Charity Ball. Anaheim's very own Mighty Ducks."

Jarrod grinned. "Oh really…"

Dragaunus and Richard gave him a sharp look. "The blond one named Nosedive is to be brought to me, alive. With minimum damage."

Jarrod's grin fell and he seethed in anger.

"As for the others, if you happen to take one down, I will offer a reward."

Jarrod's grin returned. "So it's duck huntin' season, eh?"

"Indeed."

X

"I look like a teal blue penguin," Dive stated, as he stared into a mirror. It wasn't really the first time he wore the suit, or rather a mockery of a suit, but at that time he was running around feeling all agent like. This time he knew it was for publicity reasons and he didn't feel comfortable at all.

"Aw, but at least you look like a cute teal penguin," teased Duke, pinching one of Dive's cheeks.

A minor scuffle ensued as Dive swatted Duke's hand away and then turned to tackle him.

"Hey, hey! No damaging the suits!" complained Phil. "These babies aren't exactly bargain suits this time around, remember?" Phil turned back to Canard, helping him with his tie. The look on Canard's face was one of extreme suffering. Despite the thin film of tension that had been plaguing the team, they were looking forward to the distraction this party was going to provide. Wildwing stepped out, his suit a deep navy blue color. He finished off his tie and glanced at the others.

Duke's outfit was a deep mahogany color, Grin's an emerald green. Canard wore a dark khaki colored one. Each had their own bit of flair to the outfit, whether it was a tie, cummerbund, unbuttoned jacket and the like. Wildwing couldn't help but smile at the look of his fellow mallards. Despite the wild range of colors, they were wearing the outfits really well.

The sound of heels caught everyone's attention and they all turned to face the females of the group approaching. Everyone fell silent in shock except for Phil, who was already loudly admiring their tastes.

Mallory wore a dark blue gown that had triangulated straps. The top formed a rounded v, outlining her bust. The fabric was sewn into a diagonal pattern, all pointing inward and down, accenting her lean figure. It went all the way down and trailed slightly behind her. Three quarter length gloves gave her a more elegant look, and her hair was combed back with a small hair pin, holding up her hair on the left side.

Tanya had her hair tamed unlike they had ever seen it before. It was pulled back into a partial bun with a few curly tendrils coming down across her back. She wore a silky looking brown dress with spaghetti straps. It came down to the floor as well, but there was a slit in the front that came up to her knee, showing glimpses of her legs as she walked, yet flowing down like a curtain to cover them up when she stopped. The dress hugged her full figure, and soft neutral colored feathers accented the top of her dress, and her bust.

Nosedive was the first one to recover as he let out a whistle. "Girls, you are looking fine!" he crowed. Tanya blushed deeply while Mallory smirked.

"Don't we always?" she asked, coyly.

X

Agent Belle looked at her team. Three were dressed as servers, two others as security guards, and one was dressed as a valet attendant.

"Remember to act your part," she said. "The A team is already staking out where the deal is suppose to be going down. Your job is to make sure the situation doesn't escalate into here as we are too close to the situation. You are not to leave your position unless back up is called for, understand?"

"Yes, ma'am!"

The woman turned to look at the building in front of her. While she found it unwise to separate her team and have one of them guard the annual ball when there was no immediate danger, her supervisors had determined the move and she had to follow. Using the police for security detail would have been more beneficial, ensuring that they were out of the way to make the operation easier. But once again, her bosses wanted minimum involvement with the local force.

Agent Belle grinned. Despite the misgivings, she felt tonight was going to be a rewarding night. If the information was correct, she would be bringing down a rather devious black market arms dealer and maybe even a gang leader.

X

One lucky valet was given a quick crash course on how to drive the Migrator so that all the current passengers could walk down the short red carpet leading into the resort where the ball was being held. Lights were flashing off from the small gathering of reporters and paparazzi that were hoping to get good pictures for their stories. All the ducks promised to be on their best behavior, although Nosedive was tempted to trip Duke up for having continued calling him the cute teal penguin their entire trip to the party.

The ducks marveled at the beauty of the lobby as they were led towards the elevator that would take them to the ballroom's level.

"Canard, can we just stay here one day?" Nosedive asked.

"But we live in the area!"

"So?"

The elevator was large enough for the whole team to fit in, as well as a few other people and the attendant. It went straight to the top, some twenty floors.

"Is this your first time attending the Charity Ball?" asked the attendant, speaking with Phil.

"Yes, it is. Me and my team."

"Well, I would like to welcome you on behalf of Extravagant Resort. The twentieth level is a private level owned by the resort's owner. He generously allows the use of this level for events such as this for good causes. The stairwells leading up to the twenty first level is off limits. Otherwise, enjoy the festivities."

The elevator reached the twentieth floor and opened up. The team stepped out and were once again amazed. Unlike a typical hotel in which an elevator would face out into a hallway, or a room where hallways connected, the twentieth level was completely open and surrounded by large window panes. Neon lights decorated the wall.

Tables were lined up along the windows, and another row was set along the outside where a massive pool seemed to wrap around the room. The buffet tables lined the wall that presumable led into the kitchens. In the middle there was an ice sculpture of a money sign, and crystal jars filled with cash and checks lay around it. Cardstock with organizations names printed in gold stood in front of each jar.

The Mighty Ducks approached the table and deposited their own set of cash into the jars of the organizations they wanted to donate to. Dive, torn between two of the organizations, separated his stack. Not long after that, they found themselves separated as people swarmed over to them, pulling them into different directions. Phil did his best to follow them, since he wouldn't allow anyone to take advantage of his team's good nature. It needed to be the other way around.

Wildwing, despite being pressed all around him about considering being a spokesman, or rather a spokesduck, for various products, kept an eye out for his brother. He couldn't help but smile to himself as he watched how easily Nosedive slid into a crowd of a younger generation, some brightening up while others looked at him curiously. It was good to see his brother acting almost normal.

Despite the festivities, Wildwing couldn't help but feel a bit tense. Everything was so carefree that he knew in the back of his mind that something big was going down. He could only hope that it wasn't going to be Dragaunus.

X

A line of the delivery people was making its way to the service elevators to bring food up to the twentieth floor. Many trays contained food that was already cooked while some contained food that was to be prepared by the cooks and caterers that were helping to host the ball. Two of the men in the back of the line waited until their peers filled the elevator, and when the door closed, they quickly headed to another room. They abandoned their rolling carts inside the room, swapping out with empty ones that looked the same, and headed back to the kitchens to the delivery truck to fill up their carts. When the door closed, the cloths that draped over the rolling carts were pulled, revealing four lithe and compact men who were hiding carefully. They slipped out and made their way to the door. Making sure it was secure and locked, they then moved towards one of the air vents.

All four men looked similar, as three of them were triplets and the other a cousin. Richard had hired them due to their skills in acrobatics, contortionism, and magic tricks. While they did perform in minor carnivals and beach side festivities, it was not their interest to remain in show biz. They much rather enjoyed the thrill of conning people. And stealing. Luck was on their side as the rest of their family was dead and only one of the triplets had been adopted, no one was around to tell police how many of them there were. The other two and the cousin had slipped through the cracks of the system and lived in the streets, found their missing brother, and began the biggest con of all. With one or two brother in very public places during any heists, the only one with a name and a family to trace him back to was never convicted of any crimes. As far as the public records knew, Jun Rei was an only child. Only Sawyer knew the truth and just called them Brothers.

One hoisted his brother onto his shoulders, allowing the other to access the vent. He pulled himself up and wriggled his way in. Shortly afterwards, he extended his hand down to help his brethren up. One by one, the brothers and cousin made their way into the air vent. Inside, they separated into different shafts, each having their own destination.

X

A security guard watched as another truck of supplies arrived and docked in the trucking bay of the building. He began to make his way to it when another guard arrived.

"Break time," he said. "I'll get this."

"Sure thing." The guard left to take the break he needed.

The newcomer watched him go and then turned to the truck driver and the attendant that was helping to pull up the docking ramp. They nodded at each other and opened the back.

Sawyer stepped out from the back of the truck, followed by the rest of crew.

"We're in guys. You know what to do."

X

Nosedive glanced towards his brother as the young adults near him giggled and chuckled. He couldn't help but grin as he waved at Wildwing, letting him know he was okay and actually enjoying himself. He turned back to his group and tried to catch up on whatever story the next person had begun to tell. He was able to see Tanya and Mallory from where he was standing, and he couldn't help but feel awe when he thought about how good each one looked. He also waved at them, throwing a wink at Tanya, laughing to himself when she blushed.

He let out one happy sigh. These past few days had been great, the fear of Dragaunus miniscule. Too bad things couldn't be like this more often.

X

When Richard saw the camera lights stop blinking, he made his move across the hall. Jarrod followed after him. Moving their way into the security room, they carefully avoided the prone figures of the two watchmen lying on the ground.

Gene was controlling the system, one of the acrobatic brothers standing next to him.

"The others?" Richard asked.

"Already setting up some charges. Smokey called. Seems the Feds have the area surrounded. And Fred says they only have about six men here, him included. "

"Perfect. Tell them to start in five minutes."

X

Canard smiled and excused himself from the clingy female that had been gushing all over him. Looking around, he spotted Wildwing talking to a few more people. Making his way to him, he couldn't help but roll his eyes in fond exasperation as he caught Wildwing keep glancing at Dive's direction.

"Relax, Wing," he said to him as he threw an arm around Wing's shoulders. He looked and waved in the direction of Nosedive. "We're in the same room and he's not a small hatchling that can be picked up and carried away. Nothing is going to happen in here."

He failed to notice the quick look of irritation that passed through Wing's face.

The white mallard had composed himself by the time Canard turned to face him.

"I know, Canard," he said wearily. "It's just that it's become…habitual. I just need to make sure that he's okay."

"You're gonna worry yourself sick like that, Wing. And then it'll be Nosedive you'll be making feel worried."

Canard removed his arm from Wildwing's shoulders. "Just chill for the evening."

X

Jarrod watched as Gene set up his lap top to monitor the actions of the rest of the team. He grinned as the final touches were made and Sawyer handed him a remote with nine buttons. He wished he could see what the Director has set up to start the distraction.

X

The FBI agents grew restless when they saw that no one was approaching the supposed site of the deal. The field was barren.

No one realized that there was a small access hidden underneath a large bush that also hid a small black sports car. The men Sawyer had dubbed Mole and Director stepped out from the underground access point.

Mole got on his phone and sent a text message, not taking the chance that the FBI equipment would catch his voice signals.

A moment later, a message came through from Smokey.

MEMBERS SPOTTED. PROCEED.

Mole looked at Director and gave him a nod.

The weathered looking man grinned and set up his own remote station. Pressing a button, the car came to life. Another button pushed as the front side of the "bush" dropped down. Another button and the car sped forward. One more button and the sounds of gunfire and sparks came from the car.

Gunfire began to erupt from around the area as gang members who were arriving to intercept the merchandise thought that they had been outed or betrayed. The Feds, having been surrounded by the gang members, found themselves firing back in self defense at the unexpected ambush.

Mole and Director dropped back into the underground access, heading back to their rendezvous point.

On top of a building, only two away from where the ball was being held, Smokey and Arms chuckled as they could hear the distant gunfire.

"Guess the Director's movie tricks worked."

"Yeah. With everyone running to that place, they'll be too slow in responding to this place."

X

Wildwing took a sip from the punch at the table. His eyes roamed the room and he swore to himself that this would be the last time. Canard was at the other end of the buffet table filling up his plate. Phil was schmoozing with some more potential saps… clients. Duke had been dancing with some girl who looked barely legal and was now headed to the restrooms. The girls were still surrounded by admiring young men. And Dive was also surrounded by a group of younger people. Things were fine.

Wildwing let out a huge sigh and almost slammed his cup down.

_Okay, Wing_, he told himself. _Time_ _to just enjoy the rest of this party. _

He watched as a couple of security men collected the money off the of the donation table, putting them in cloth bags with locks on the zippers. One of them smiled at Wing as they passed by towards the elevator.

"My kids are huge fans. We go to every public event you guys do."

"Thank you," responded Wing, as the two guards stepped into the hotel.

Putting on a smile, Wing headed towards the nearest group of human females that looked like they wanted to dance and were just waiting to be asked.

A split second later, three faint consecutive explosions could be heard from below, followed by three more from the level they were in.

X

"What in Sam's Hill?" Agent Belle tore the earpiece off of her head as she looked up at second in command.

"There is no sign of any arms dealer, but a gang war just broke out with our men in the middle. And our men at the hotel just sent in word that explosions just occurred from within the building."

"Call the locals and call for medical help."

X

Klegghorn sighed and rolled his eyes. "No Carol," he said. "He's seventeen and in a couple weeks you won't have much legal claim over him. If he wants to come back to California and study at the police academy here then let him… Carol, don't go forcing your views on him. That's what makes him act up like you say he does… He's a good kid! The fact that he wants to become a cop says a lot about his character!... Carol… Carol… No, I'm not against you. I never have been. I just disagreed with a lot of your views. Carol… I'm a busy man…"

Hurt and anger filled Klegghorn's eyes. "Then why do you keep calling? If that didn't change while we were married, do you really think it'll change now that we're not together? I'll talk to Danny, but if he's already made his mind I won't be able to convince him to stay in New York with you." Klegghorn hung up with an aggravated sigh.

He stood up and grabbed his coat.

Klegghorn was turning off the lights to his cubicle when the phone on his desk rang again. For a brief moment, he contemplated letting it ring, wondering if it was his ex calling back. But his sense of ethic morals won once again and he answered.

"Captain Klegghorn speaking."

"Captain! We just got word from the feds that someone just bombed Extravagant Resort and they need all the help they can get."

Extravagant Resort? Where the Charity Ball was being held? Weren't the feathered menaces also there?

"Oh, fer crying out loud. Why is it that those blasted ducks are always in the middle of something like this! I'm on my way." Klegghorn slammed the phone down, threw on his coat, and rushed out. "I pity the fool that'll take over when I retire," he muttered.

X

Grin winced in pain as he tried to move. It took him a few seconds to realize that his leg was pinned by two large wooden beams, and a sofa of all things, presumably from the twenty first level.

He slowly pushed them up and over, making sure that the movement wasn't going to cause more debris to fall on top of him… or the moaning humans around him.

Looking around he realized that we was trapped near the kitchens

"Are you okay?" he asked a man dressed as one of the servers.

"I think so. Not so sure about those two." He pointed to two men who were slumped against the wall behind the buffet table.

"Can you move them to safety?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "You look like you can do that on your own. Or is that your subtle way of trying to get me out of here as well?"

Grin gave the human a surprised look. Despite being a server, the man spoke in the same manner and tone Mallory would often take when she was ready for a fight. Made him wonder just who was this person.

X

Wildwing and Canard stood up coughing. The explosions closest to them had shattered the glass on one side, and several people ran out there having no other place to go. From where they were standing, access to the elevator was completely cut off, although using that would have been fool hardy.

"Dive!" Wing coughed out, looking around and seeing that he had been separated from his brother.

Canard glanced around and noticed that there was a door outside near the pool, and several of the people were making their way towards it. At least the owner was prepared with emergency stairwells.

"Wing, let's go! We need to get out of here and make a plan!" Canard ordered, switching over into his battle gear and pulling on Wildwing's arm.

"No! Dive's in there!"

"And so is the rest of our team! We need to get outside and evaluate the situation and calculate the risks. We don't know what's going on here!"

"Then you go out there!" snapped Wing, catching Canard off guard. "My brother is in there and I'm going after him, with or without you!"

"Wing! Wing!" Canard shouted after his second in command. He swore to himself and scrambled after the distraught duck. "Would you at least switch gears?"

X

Tanya and Mallory coughed as they stood up, dresses covered in dust and some edges torn. Both of them switched into battle gear, ready for any confrontation.

Without another word, they rushed forward to begin saving the innocent people that were trapped underneath the room's ceiling. As they pulled off debris from on top of people, they realized that the damage done by the explosives had separated them from the rest of their team.

"Do you think Dragaunus had anything to do with this?" asked Tanya, as she pulled a frightened young man to his feet.

Mallory shook her head as she pointed to the nearest exit for the man. "It has a human weapons feel to it. If it were him, we'd be seeing droids right about now."

"Man, I'm sure Klegghorn will love to know he's dealing with a normal baddie then," Tanya chuckled half heartedly.

Mallory snorted. "He won't be happy until we're not involved, period!"

"Think the others are okay?"

"We'll go look for them in a moment. Gotta make sure no one is left here without help."

X

"Oh, Mother of Hockey," coughed Duke, as he pushed himself up to his knees. He had just come out of the bathrooms when the explosions knocked him back against the walls.

"Are you okay?" he could hear Nosedive asking someone from somewhere to his left.

"My ankle!" cried out a female voice.

"You?"

"My arm hurts, but I think I can move," replied a scared young man's voice.

Duke was about to make his way to the three when he felt a sense of danger fill the room. Using the cover of the smoke and dust, he stayed hidden in the shadows, keeping an eye out on Dive.

Six men walked in from the emergency stairwell near the bathrooms, holding automatic weapons.

"Listen up," said the one in the lead. Any valuables you have on you, it's best to put them into this here bag." The man threw a duffel bag onto the floor.

Duke felt his stomach dropped as he recognized the leader.

He could also see that Dive saw him, too, judging by the stiffening of his posture.

Unfortunately, judging by the cruel smirk on the man's face, he recognized Dive too.

"Well, look who it is," the man grunted, reaching down and grabbing Dive by the hair.

Dive winced but remained silent, glaring at the man he knew as Jarod Hinks.

"Blondie… long time no see." The man raised his gun, tapping Dive's beak twice and before leaving it resting on the top of his beak, pointing to his forehead. Dive did his best to not flinch, instead staring into Hinks eyes.

Hinks smirked once more.

"I really would like to put a bullet in you right now… but I'm suppose to keep you alive for some unknown reason."

Hinks reached down and grabbed Dive by the collar and hauled him up. "Someone tie him up. Securely! The little punk seems to have the devil's luck."

Duke switched to battle mode. "Oh man… Wing's gonna have my hide for this one."

X

"What is going on here?" Klegghorn asked himself as he began to bark out orders over his radio. Most of his men were headed towards Extravagant Resort since his men needed to secure the area before paramedics could go in and retrieve any injured. More of his men were on their way to the shoot out occurring in a vacant lot a couple blocks back.

One of the other divisions was staying behind to catch any calls that could come in while they were dealing with the situation.

As he approached Extravagant Resort, he rooted in the glove department to grab the communicator the Ducks had given to him. He was tempted to leave it… but something kept him from letting go of it.

X

"I need stats, people!" Agent Belle hollered into her mic.

"Teams are separated on the inside. Lost communications with those closest to the blasts. Parts of the building have caved in keeping us from reaching potential victims. Some of the emergency stairwells have been hit as well. And we have people stranded on the twentieth floor."

"Report as soon as you find any clues as to who was responsible!"

"We need backup!"

Belle cursed as she lost the only connections she had with her inside team. Looking up she could see some approaching cop cars and fire trucks.

"About time," she muttered, as she made her way to the road block.

Captain Klegghorn was one of the first ones to arrive.

"What is going on here?" bellowed Klegghorn as he got out of his car.

"What took you?" Belle snapped back.

"I just had to divide my force into two to back yer people up! Why were you separated into two groups in the first place? And why is one of them all the way out in some shootout with gang members?"

Belle let out an exasperated sigh. "Your chief knows. We received a tip that there was going to be an arms deal being made not far from this resort. Most of my men were staked in the supposed spot. My boss figured it would be best to put a few men here in case the situation escalated and the dealers would use this place for target practice. Thing is, no one actually showed up. Except for the gang bangers who had also heard the rumors."

Klegghorn looked at the hotel. "So why was this place blown up?"

"We think this was the real target and the 'deal' was just a set up to get us out of the way." Belle looked at the ruined hotel. "We don't know how stable the structure is, and I've lost contact with my men inside."

Klegghorn frowned and reached into his pocket, pulling out the communicator. "Er… let me try." He pressed a button and waited. Two seconds later, it beeped in response.

"Klegghorn, is that you?" A fuzzy image of Canard pulled up on the small screen.

"What's your stat?"

"With Wing. Team split up but on our end there are no causalities. We're trying to clear some debris to meet up with our team. We're stranded on the outside portion of the twentieth floor. What is going on?"

Belle gave Klegghorn a sour look and the captain sighed.

"Listen, I don't go asking for their help and they seem to find trouble on their own… and right now they are the only help we've got and they're a reliable flock of birds. They'll get to your people and any victims."

Agent Belle frowned but nodded.

"Canard, a shooting out here seemed to be a diversionary tactic for whatever happened in the hotel. Be careful. We're not sure of the purpose of the attack and if the ones responsible are still in the building. We are uncertain of the stability of the building, but we need to get people out and see if we can find some answers."

"Got it. We'll get people out as fast as possible and see if we can find any answers. Canard, out."

Klegghorn closed his communicator, his poker face hiding the nervousness he was feeling in trusting the alien ducks. After all, he had spent almost a year trying to find reasons to imprison them.

X

"Wildwing, stop and think about what you're doing! I don't think you're being very reasonable right now, especially since Dive is somewhere in there." Canard dodged another piece of rubble that Wing tossed back.

The white mallard was sitting on top of a very unstable pile of rubble, but it was the only one that gave a glimpse to the other side and Wing was doing his best to make the hole bigger.

Wildwing turned to face Canard. "I am being more than reasonable. Either let me go my own way or follow me, but don't stop me, Canard!"

"You know I can't let you go on your own, Wing. We've learned the dangers of that."

"Then shut up and let me find my brother."

There was a tense moment of silence and Wildwing felt his resolve dwindle as he stared down at the emotionless mask Canard wore. Did he look just as intimidating when he used to wear it?

Canard sighed and removed the mask, staring hard at Wing.

"Okay. If you're so insistent, at least borrow the mask for this." Canard held out the mask.

Wildwing warily reached down for it, but when he went to pull it away, Canard held on tight.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Wing… but that brother of yours better need our help. Because if we go in there and he turns out to be okay and us in trouble, I'm gonna beat you down myself. And if we're both fine, I'll do worse. I'll rat you out to your brother that you had no confidence in him and let you deal with the tantrum he'll be bound to throw." Canard let go of the mask and Wildwing nodded, taking Canard's words seriously.

"Then lead the way, Wing."

X

Grin watched as the last few people that were trapped with him headed to safety. He had lucked out that the stairwell connected to the kitchen area was standing solid. The only one still standing with him was the server who had identified himself as FBI agent Federico Mendoza.

"Why aren't you following them?" the agent was asking, in a demanding way.

"My friends are still in there."

"But you're a civilian… sort of. My job is to make sure you're safe!"

"Then make sure I'm safe as I look for my friends." Grin headed back into the disaster area as the agent screamed in frustration.

"I pity the fools that deal with you daily!"

X

Duke quietly tailed the men as they rounded up several of the teens, picking and choosing specific ones once they learned their names.

"What should we do with the rest?" one of the men asked.

"They're our ticket out," responded Hinks. "They're expendable. You three stay behind to take care of them."

Several of the girls began to cry while the boys trembled in fear.

Duke was torn between following Hinks and his men and staying behind to help the unfortunate teens escape. He was pretty sure that if Wing were next to him, he would order him to rescue Dive. But Dive didn't like being underestimated, and if they had had a chance to make a plan before being carted away, Dive would have opted for Duke to rescue the teens first.

"Oh, boy… Wing is really gonna kill me for this."

Duke waited until the men and hostages were out of sight, going down the stairs they had used. The remaining three men holstered their guns.

"Babysitting a bunch of brats born with silver spoons in their mouths. Figures." One of the men spit on the ground as looked at the kids.

"Nice dress," said another one to a girl wearing a mini dress. "How much you paid for that beaut? Huh? Two hundred? Three? Well?"

"T-two thousand," the girl whispered.

The man smiled. "Two thousand, huh?" Then he scowled and pointed his automatic at her. "You know what a normal person can do with two thousand? I hate little insolent brats like you that throw money away like that! You think you can walk on the backs of normal people because you have more money than them!"

The girl began to cry even more as the man waved his weapon in front of her face.

"It's not nice to make a lady cry."

The three men whirled around looking for the source of the voice.

A moment later, two of them were knocked out by two hockey pucks to the head. The third, the one who was waving his gun in front of the girl, reeled back in shock as a figure with a glowing red eye landed in front of him.

Duke swung out his saber, cutting the weapon in half, and then threw a punch, knocking the guy out.

"Well, that was easy," Duke commented to himself.

He turned to the scared teens. "You guys okay?"

They nodded and cautiously stood up.

"Follow me. I'll get you out."

X

Wildwing sighed in frustration as he tried to raise Dive on the com unit.

"Maybe the blast messed with the reception?" Canard suggested.

Canard watched as Wing gave him a look. Well, he could only assume it was a look.

_Do I look like that when I wear the mask?_ Canard asked himself. He turned back and continued prying and dislodging debris.

"Hey, we were pretty clear of heavy dust, and same with Klegghorn. I'm pretty sure if stuff gets inside these units, it might mess with them. Just keep trying some of the others as well."

X

Mallory and Tanya were able to gather most of the people in their area. However, they were in a spot that the people had to climb out to get to a possible escape route. Five of the people were too injured to go climbing however.

"Any luck?" asked Mallory.

Tanya shook her head as she opened the casing of her com unit. "Dust got into them." She blew at her com unit. "It's shorting out the wires. I don't have anything to really clean them out… but I think I can get them working again in a moment."

Mallory helped splint the leg of one of the injured men.

"Just what is going on in here?" he asked, clearly in pain.

"We're not sure, sir. But we are attempting to find out.

"Hah!" she heard Tanya exclaim. "Got through to Duke!"

"Any ideas?"

Tanya looked at her. "They were after the money. And hostages for ransom. They've got Dive."

Mallory let out a tired sigh. "Let's try to rescue him before Wing finds out."

A moment later, the sound of falling debris caught their attention.

"Who's there?" she called out.

"Mal?"

"Canard?"

X

Alarms were sounding loudly through the halls and stairwells of the hotel. On the eighth floor, he had to redirect the people into the hallway to seek out another emergency exit. The stairs leading down were broken and unstable, and he could smell the smoke of gun powder.

As the last of the humans made their way through the door, movement from down below caught his attention.

"What is it?" asked Agent Mendoza, stepping back through the door when he noticed that Grin didn't follow.

"Shhh." Grin pushed the man back against the wall, hand covering the agent's mouth to keep him silent. Even though the alarms were loud, he didn't want to risk being heard. Peering over the edge, Grin could see a trail of people heading to the lower levels. Two in the front carried guns, as well as the one in the back. What really caught his attention was that the one in the back was holding onto Nosedive, who was immobilized by the looks of it.

"Well," said Grin. "I found one of my friends."

"Call him over," grunted the agent as he pushed back Grin's hand away.

"He's a bit tied up."

"What?"

"Three armed goons were leading a bunch of kids down the stairs, my little buddy among them."

"A kidnapping? This doesn't make sense! This charity ball was supposed to go without a hitch and with all the danger happening a few blocks from here!"

Mendoza pulled out a phone and looked at it. "Still no signal. This evening just keeps getting better and better."

"It's good that you remain optimistic. Let's go."

"Wait… what… where?"

Grin leapt from the steps to the level below, bypassing the damaged steps.

"You have got to be kidding…" The agent climbed over the railing and jumped as well.

X

Hinks was certain he heard something land on the steps above him as he pushed his hostage through the door. He grinned when he saw three more of his people were waiting for him. He nodded towards the door and one nodded in return as the other two joined them to escort the prisoners.

X

Mallory and Tanya dusted themselves off. The hole that Canard and Wing had been working on had been made large enough to safely escort people through, including the injured ones.

And while they wanted to tell Wing about his brother, the fact that he was wearing the mask made them question their decision.

Something had happened for Canard to give up the mask, but seeing that the tan mallard was unharmed, they couldn't figure out what.

Not that it bothered them. It felt like old times seeing him standing there looking so sure of himself.

"Canard, Tanya, you two lead the people down to the first level. We need to make sure they get there safely. Once there, Tanya, I need you to get to the Aerowing to assist with getting people trapped in the upper levels with no way out. Canard, use the communicator from Migrator to contact us. The signal should be strong enough regardless of the situation. Mallory and I will continue to look for the rest of our team."

Mallory took a deep breath. "Duke was able to communicate with us not too long ago. It seems that Dive was taken with a bunch of kids to be hostages."

Wing's fists tightened up as he shot a look at Canard.

Canard frowned at him.

"He's a tough kid, Wing. Don't lose focus."

"Any other information?"

"Duke is escorting a bunch of other kids that were going to be used as shields."

"He left Dive?"

"They were going to be held captive, sir. The ones that Duke is escorting now were meant to be killed once they served their purpose. He had no choice."

Wing sighed but had to agree with Duke's decision. He was glad that the mallard was left to make up his decision on his own because Wing knew he wouldn't have been rational had he been in the same situation.

Then he noticed that Tanya was fidgeting.

"You have something else to add?" he asked her.

"Duke said Jarrod Hinks was involved."

"Hinks? Then that means…" Wing's voice came out hoarse. "Dragaunus may have something to do with this."

TBC…

**In the Next Episode of The Mighty Ducks:**

Dive slowly worked at the ropes that bound his wrists together. So far he had been lucky that the most Hinks had done was just point his gun at him and dragged him through the tunnels. The way the man was holding him also kept his wrists out of Hinks's sight.

He kept twisting his wrists, hoping to loosen them enough to be able to activate the tracker on his wrist watch.

While they were going down the stairs, his mind was filled with possible escape plans for himself and his fellow hostages. His concern grew when they went into the basement and entered a tunnel that was supported with very familiar structures.

X

Canard sat down in front of the Migrator's controls. He reached over to try to hail Wing when he felt as if someone was staring at him from behind.

"It's almost time," he heard a whisper.

"Y-yea." Canard didn't turn around, his body tense, and his pupils contracting as he recalled something.

"You know what to do."

Canard's hands curled into fists.

"Yeah."

X

Nosedive managed to free his wrist from his binds, and moving his hands upwards, he activated his battle suit.

"Down!" shouted Dive as he pulled out his puck blaster and shot at the one ahead while he used his shield to block the shots fired from the man behind. The teens had all ducked and scrambled to the sides of the tunnel as Dive knocked out one man and then turned the blaster on the other, knocking him out as well.


	10. Ep 9: Leadership Part 2: Resignation

A/N: The characters of the Mighty Ducks are property of Disney and its affiliates. Nightbloom is my character as well as all other minor characters that have never been seen in the show. And since I started writing these as a continuation of Mighty Ducks and keeping it as close to a Grating as possible… I hope you all realize how hard it is to write a clean story with no curse words! Appreciate it! Lol.

_Previously on The Mighty Ducks: SCP_

"_Guys!" Phil said, full of enthusiasm. "We have been invited to the biggest, best party for people like us! It's the Anaheim Annual Charity Event!"_

"_Charity?" asked Duke. "Since when do you care about charity?"_

"_Hey, I'm a good guy at heart!"_

"_Yeah, but usually your events involve us giving our time. Not money."_

_X_

_Jarrod straightened up. "I've worked with Sawyer for years. The only time I ended up in jail was to test someone else and he used his resources to break me free. After this job, if you guys don't want to stay on board, it'll be your choice to walk away with your earnings. We won't demand anything else of you. Unless you betray us, of course. Go your own way or follow us. Take this opportunity to decide whether to trust each other or not."_

"_What is it you want us to do?" asked one of the smaller framed men._

_Richard grinned._

_X_

_Sawyer looked around one more time before turning to Dragaunus._

"_Do you mind if I ask why you need so many cameras?"_

"_Just using a technique that's been used by all great teams."_

_X_

_Putting on a smile, Wing headed towards the nearest group of human females that looked like they wanted to dance and were just waiting to be asked._

_A split second later, three faint consecutive explosions could be heard from below, followed by three more from the level they were in._

_X_

_Hinks smirked at Nosedive. _

"_I really would like to put a bullet in you right now… but I'm suppose to keep you alive for some unknown reason."_

_Hinks reached down and grabbed Dive by the collar and hauled him up. "Someone tie him up. Securely! The little punk seems to have the devil's luck."_

_Duke switched to battle mode. "Oh man… Wing's gonna have my hide for this one."_

_X_

"_Okay. If you're so insistent, at least borrow the mask for this." Canard held out the mask._

_Wildwing warily reached down for it, but when he went to pull it away, Canard held on tight._

"_Don't take this the wrong way, Wing… but that brother of yours better need our help. Because if we go in there and he turns out to be okay and us in trouble, I'm gonna beat you down myself. And if we're both fine, I'll do worse. I'll rat you out to your brother that you had no confidence in him and let you deal with the tantrum he'll be bound to throw." Canard let go of the mask and Wildwing nodded, taking Canard's words seriously._

"_Then lead the way, Wing."_

_X_

"_You have something else to add?" he asked her._

"_Duke said Jarrod Hinks was involved."_

"_Hinks? Then that means…" Wing's voice came out hoarse. "Dragaunus may have something to do with this."_

Leadership Part 2: Resignation

Dragaunus watched the screens with avid interest. A cruel smile crossed his face as he could see the blasted ducks were all separated.

He felt a dark presence behind him, and he turned to face it.

Nightbloom stood behind him, cloaked in her dark robes, face partially hidden.

"You requested my presence?"

"Just showing you my plan," Dragaunus responded.

Nightbloom stepped forward and looked at the screen. "What is the purpose of so many cameras?"

"Just taking an example from them. How can I possibly stand a chance to beat them if I don't study their every move and learn their weaknesses and strengths?"

Nightbloom took a step back. "I see. 'Learn thy enemy' is probably one of the best techniques that can be used. I will acknowledge the ingenuity of this plan."

"So will you help me now?"

Nightbloom shook her head. "It won't be a complete victory for you if I do, Sir Dragaunus. This is your plan. Execute it as you will and enjoy the success that may come to pass. My involvement will only taint your stories in years to come as the Saurian Overlord that had to rely on a female to help."

Dragaunus snorted. "I suppose you're right. I never realized you really did know your place, woman."

Nightbloom gave a simple nod. "But I will mention it one last time… I heavily caution against retrieving Nosedive. There is no way for me to help in bringing Darkflame back. And I doubt your mage has the power to do so as well."

Dragaunus snarled. "We'll see about that!"

Nightbloom turned and walked out of the room.

X

Grin almost tripped over a human as he cautiously opened the door the gunmen and kids had gone through.

"Agent Stone!" hissed Mendoza, as he made his way to the prone figure dressed up as a security guard.

The man groaned as Mendoza flipped him over. "What happened?"

"The money… they took the money."

"What?"

"With the explosion, the elevator stopped. We got off but… it was an inside job. Harley attacked me. I tried to follow but he got the drop on me here."

Mendoza swore. "I can't get a hold of Agent Belle to alert her. C'mon. Seems more is at stake here than the money. He saw a group of kids being led away." The agent reached down to help Stone up while motioning to Grin with his head.

A moment later, Mendoza was pushed to the floor as Grin's hand wrapped around Stone's hand, holding a gun in place.

"Cripes! Let go!" shouted Stone, in pain.

Mendoza's eyes widened. "Barney! What…"

The "injured" man looked very much able as he flailed around, trying to get Grin to let go. The quiet duck removed the gun and then delivered a punch that knocked the agent out cold.

"It seems he was only telling half truths," said Grin. "I'll bet the Stanley cup he was the inside man."

"Unbelievable…"

X

Dive slowly worked at the ropes that bound his wrists together. So far he had been lucky that the most Hinks had done was just point his gun at him and dragged him through the tunnels. The way the man was holding him also kept his wrists out of Hinks's sight.

He kept twisting his wrists, hoping to loosen them enough to be able to activate the tracker on his wrist watch.

While they were going down the stairs, his mind was filled with possible escape plans for himself and his fellow hostages. His concern grew when they went into the basement and entered a tunnel that was supported with very familiar structures.

It almost reminded him of the Raptor, and with Hinks being involved, it was certain Dragaunus was also involved.

Nosedive knew his limitations, and while he felt confident in confronting the gunmen, he was very much afraid of the thought of meeting Dragaunus face to face all alone.

He felt the rope give way and Dive quickly pressed a button on his communicator watch. He could only hope that one of his team mates would receive the signal.

X

Canard boarded the Migrator while Tanya was outside, waiting for the Aerowing to arrive. He turned on the communicator and the panels, trying to locate all of the team. He had to admit that Wildwing wasn't a military leader, but he was a team leader nonetheless, and a capable one at that. Canard sighed as he realized he should have never retaken control like he did. The team was working like a well oiled machine and his reintroduction threw a wrench in the plans. Sure he was able to make the team work again, but it would have been easier if he had allowed Wing to keep control.

At least that's what he thought.

He reached over to try to hail Wing when he felt as if someone was staring at him from behind.

"It's almost time," he heard a whisper.

"Y-yea." Canard didn't turn around, his body tense, and his pupils contracting as he recalled something.

"You know what to do."

Canard's hands curled into fists.

"Yeah."

"This meeting never happened. Forget about my involvement until I say otherwise."

The presence was gone and Canard was able to breathe again. He shook his head, feeling as if he had fallen asleep and woke up suddenly. What was he thinking again?

That's right. He was thinking of what he was going to do with the team's dynamics. It was time to make some changes, because he couldn't help but feel that it would make things easier later on. After all, he had disappeared once from the picture. If something should happen again…

A sudden bleep caught his attention and he looked at one of the screens. Nosedive's ID number was flashing, and he could see a small dot moving. Canard gave a start when he realized that the dot passed right through where the Migrator was parked at. He leapt out and looked around, seeing no one. Then he looked down.

"What's wrong?" asked Tanya, having been startled by his abrupt appearance.

"They're underground!"

Canard leapt back onto the Migrator and hailed all at once, hoping that they all would be able to hear him.

"The kid is underground! We need everyone on the bottom level ASAP!"

"Grin here. I'm already attempting to tail them. The entrance is in the basement."

"I'm close by," came Duke's voice. "I just released a bunch of other kids on the first floor."

"Grin, Duke, meet up and go after Dive. We'll catch up!" ordered Wing.

"Wing, we can probably access the sewers and try to locate them."

"Tanya, cancel the Aerowing and go with Canard."

Canard stepped out of the Migrator.

"You've got some explosive pucks, right?"

Tanya nodded.

X

Agent Belle sneered as Agent Stone was brought to her.

"Are you going to tell me what is going on?"

Stone just gave her a steady look.

"Take this filth away."

Klegghorn came up to her.

"I just got word from the Ducks. The money being collected was the target, as well as hostages for ransom. The Ducks are attempting to follow them as we speak."

"What? How many hostages?"

"The number is unknown. But one of them is from their team."

"Curses!"

X

"We got trouble," said Gene, as they were packing up their supplies to make their getaway.

"What is it?" asked Sawyer.

"Seems those Ducks are trying to play heroes. We got at least two entering the entrance. The other two seem to be heading down that way as well."

"Tell the team to stand ready to engage. And don't forget Lord Dragaunus will offer an award for any duck we take out… barring our hostage of course."

X

Grin and Duke paused as they reached a fork in the tunnels.

"Wing, Canard, we got a problem," Duke said. "Tunnels have been constructed here and we don't know which way to head."

"I'm uploading the map and Dive's position," said Tanya. "We won't have a map of the tunnel system, but it should give you a general direction of which way to go."

"Guys, be careful," added Wing. "We don't know how many people are involved, and when Dragaunus might show up."

"There are also a lot of cameras. They may already know we're here."

Canard's voice came in through next. "Tanya and I are going to try to cut them off using the sewer system itself. Assuming they are onto us, we two might be the only element of surprise left."

X

Sawyer's men gathered at the entrance.

"I've already alerted Hinks to the situation. Director, Arms, Smokey, and Mole are already at our rendezvous point, waiting for them. Hinks will be sending the hostages further up ahead while he and some of his men stay behind to ambush those ducks. I want you Brothers to stay here and wait for the other two ducks to come through and then follow. We'll go in and attack the first group from behind. Signal us so we know when to expect the others."

X

Nosedive felt apprehensive as he could hear the communications between Hinks and his boss. His brother and team mates were going to walk into a trap. He had to find a way to alert them. And then he got his break. Hinks and a couple others were going to stay behind, leaving him not as well guarded. Only Hinks had personally been in combat against him, so the others wouldn't know what to expect.

As Hinks spoke with the others, Nosedive leaned over and whispered to a few of the teens.

"I need you to do me a favor. When we move again, block me from both sides. I'm gonna get loose and as soon as I do, I need you guys to do what I say."

"What if they shoot us?" asked one of the teens.

"Trust me. I'll protect you guys. Just stay in front and behind me and form a wall."

"My family will sue if you end up getting us killed."

Nosedive bit back the urge to sigh.

"Well then if I get us killed I won't have to worry now, will I."

Hinks then spoke to the two that were remaining behind. "Make sure the duck remains alive. Otherwise Dragon man might eat you guys or something."

"Yeah, yeah."

Nosedive felt a cold sweat form, getting the confirmation of his worst fears. Dragon man could be no one other than Dragaunus. He had to get out before they reached the end of the path.

Hinks and his men began to move back from the direction they came from as the group of hostages was prodded on ahead. The teens moved closer together, forming a wall and blocking the gunmen's view of Nosedive.

Nosedive managed to free his wrist from his binds, and moving his hands upwards, he activated his battle suit.

"Down!" shouted Dive as he pulled out his puck blaster and shot at the one ahead while he used his shield to block the shots fired from the man behind. The teens had all ducked and scrambled to the sides of the tunnel as Dive knocked out one man and then turned the blaster on the other, knocking him out as well.

Dive shook his hand that held shield. "Whew, gotta remember to thank Tanya for the upgrades," he muttered.

"That was… wicked cool," said one of the kids as he stood up.

"Aren't the other guys gonna come back?" asked another one.

Dive nodded. "Most likely. Everyone get back."

Dive had everyone move to one side as he set his blaster's setting to an explosive puck. He looked around and noticed some condensation on the wall about six inches above him. He aimed at it and fired.

A hole formed and the group was hit with a blast of rancid smells as they were sprayed with foul smelling liquid.

Dive did his best not to gag unlike the others. "Guys, we're gonna have to get dirty."

"You want us to go into the sewer?"

"It's that or face those other guys."

"I hope my mom replaces my shoes."

Dive motioned for the teens to move closer as he began to help them up into the opening. He couldn't help but wonder how Dragaunus managed to build the tunnels alongside the sewer system without getting caught. It had to have taken some skill.

X

Wing and Mallory nodded to one another and made their way into the tunnel's entrance, the feathers on the back of their necks rising. They had arrived in time to hear Sawyer's plan and watched as the others hid to wait for them.

The two pulled back and had communicated with the others. Duke and Grin were already sandwiched between the two groups and Wing knew they would have to time it so that they ended up backing each other up instead of being ambushed.

Canard and Tanya were fast approaching the hostages according to their sensors. He could only hope that Canard would do his best to make sure Nosedive was unharmed.

Wildwing eyed the cameras warily.

He couldn't help but wonder who was watching. Was it Sawyer or some of his men? Or Dragaunus?

X

Dragaunus clenched his jaw when he saw Nosedive disappear from view. The blonde duck was resourceful; he had to admit that much. But he was close to being back in his grasp and he wasn't about to let the chance slip.

He whirled around, intent on heading over to retrieve the duck personally. As he walked out of the monitoring room, he encountered Wraith.

"My lord?" Wraith asked.

"Out of my way," growled Dragaunus, leaving behind a confused henchman.

X

Hinks swore as he stepped out into the sewer.

"Hinks," came Sawyer's voice over his radio. "You get back to your position and get ready to engage the others. We'll catch up to the hostages later, you hear me?"

"Sorry, boss man, but I have had it with that blonde brat! I just know he's responsible for this! I'm gonna find him and shoot his kneecaps!"

"Curse you, Hinks! The lizard man said minimum damage! Leave the kid alone and let's take care of the others first!"

"Minimum damage to me means as long as he's alive. The duck is mine!"

"Hinks! Hinks!"

Jarrod Hinks ripped off his earpiece and threw it to the ground. He no longer cared what the others wanted. The brat was a menace that needed to be taken down.

X

"Wing! Dive is moving fast. He must have broken free or something!"

"How far ahead?"

"I think on the other side of this wall about fifteen meters and moving."

"Is there place we can run into him?

"About forty meters ahead there's a tunnel that should intercept the tunnel he's using. If we're lucky, he'll turn into it and run into us. That or he'll continue ten more meters and go up one of the access ways."

"Let's go!"

X

Captain Klegghorn watched as Agent Belle ordered her remaining men to gather witnesses and get statements, all while taking calls from her men under fire. Klegghorn also took a couple calls letting him know that the SWAT team had arrived and the situation was slowly coming under control.

And then he got a message from Wildwing.

"We're getting ready to engage the enemy. Canard and Tanya are moving to intercept Nosedive and the hostages. It seems that they got away. I'm sending you the link to Dive's unit so you can see his location. They're travelling through the sewer system."

Klegghorn acknowledged Wildwing, a bit surprised to see him taking charge again.

He saw the blip appear on his communicator and began to step away.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Agent Belle, giving him a hard look.

Klegghorn raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"I heard what was said. You are not going alone. I have no more men to spare so I'm coming with you."

"Okay," Klegghorn responded with a smirk. "Are you sure? Your dainty feet might get a tad bit dirty."

"I've got a crowbar in my car, Captain. Don't make me use it on something other than prying something open."

_A woman of action, _he thought_._ _Perfect._

X

Dive kept glancing back to make sure none of the teens were left behind. "First ladder we find that leads upwards we go for it," he shouted.

"I think I see something!" shouted one girl, pointing ahead.

Dive stopped and motioned for the others to continue up ahead.

Two of the hostages were slowing down.

"Keep moving," Dive urged.

"We're not being followed," one of them said, gasping for air.

"Yeah. So we can take our time."

Nosedive gritted his teeth. "Never presume we're not being followed, man. That's how they get you."

The two groaned and continued trotting forward.

"This place reeks," they complained.

Nosedive rolled his eyes. He wondered if Wing would take it badly if he left all of them behind. Then he shook his head. Wing might forgive him, since he was on the overprotective kick. Canard on the other hand… No, either way he wasn't going to risk leaving anyone behind.

As he started moving forward, very familiar forms began to appear around them.

X

Duke glanced at Grin and nodded, finger poised over the shield button. Chances were very high that they would be ambushed with projectile weapons. But after tapping against the tunnel built, they realized that bullets would most likely ricochet off of the walls.

The shooters would be forced to stop using their weapons and rely on physical strength, assuming Duke and Grin didn't get caught in the crossfire.

They could also only hope that the information would be passed onto their teams so that Wing and Mallory didn't run into the same risk.

He could feel Grin tense up.

"Get ready," the quiet duck mumbled.

Duke turned on his saber and continued moving forward.

A moment later, they were met with a hail of bullets.

X

Wildwing glanced at Mallory, hearing the sound of gunfire up ahead. Mallory donned a gas mask as Wildwing shot out a smoking puck in both directions as he could make out the heat signatures of humans fast approaching as he scanned the tunnels.

X

The kids all screamed in fear as huge metal droids surrounded them.

"Run!" shouted Nosedive as he fired at one droid, creating an opening. He then turned and dove under another one, running in the opposite direction.

Droids meant Dragaunus, and that could only mean that he was interested in Dive. He highly doubted that the kids were worth anything and so he took his chance that the droids would follow him, leaving the kids alone.

The teens took the opportunity and scrambled over the fallen droid as the other machines turned and began to follow the duck.

X

Canard stopped as he noticed Dive's position suddenly change and begin to move fast.

"Something's wrong," he said to Tanya.

"Guys! I think Nosedive is on the run!"

"Busy here!" came Duke's voice.

"Track him!" Wing ordered.

X

Klegghorn looked down and saw that Nosedive was moving away from where he was standing.

"Let's just go in from here," said Agent Belle, inserting the crowbar she held under the manhole cover.

Both of them pushed down and opened it. They slid it to one side in time to see a terrified and dirty face of a teen peering up.

"We're saved!" he said, and they heard the excited cries of several more people.

"What happened to the duck?" Klegghorn asked, reaching for one of them.

"We don't know! These droids just attacked us and they went chasing after him!"

"That blonde duck is gonna be the end of me," Klegghorn muttered, as he got ready to relay the information to the others.

X

Nosedive shot at a couple more droids and continued running forward.

He moved his com unit up, ready to try getting in contact with his brother. A dark form moved in front of him, blocking his path.

Nosedive grunted as he crashed first into the figure, and then onto the floor.

"Going somewhere?" he heard a familiar voice ask.

Nosedive let out a gasp as he stared up at Lord Dragaunus.

Nosedive scrambled up and began to run back in the direction he had come from, just as the Saurian reached down to grab him.

"Stop or I'll shoot!" warned Dragaunus.

"Yeah, right," Nosedive shouted back, aiming his puck blaster over his shoulder and blindly firing two rounds.

Several more droids began to appear as he past them, and what he assumed was a stun blast grazed his shoulder. Nosedive could feel his arm go numb as he struggled to keep a hold of his blaster. As he passed a couple of sewer pipes, Dive decided to take his chances and go through one of them, hoping for better luck in another tunnel.

"Come back here!" he heard Dragaunus shout, as he somehow managed to scrambled into one and began running down it, wading through the ankle deep liquid that was gushing through it.

X

"If we cut through here we should come out into the tunnel Nosedive is in," said Tanya, pointing to one of the sewer pipes.

Canard gave a grim nod as he made his way to one of the pipes and hauled himself into it. He helped Tanya up as well and they began sloshing their way through it.

Canard's unit began to beep faster and he glanced down at it. "He's coming back this way at top speed," he commented.

Looking back up, he spotted a streak of white going past them. He got ready to call out for him when he heard Dragaunus's voice echoing with a "Come back here!"

Tanya and him glanced at one another and gave a quick nod as the both hurried forward to ambush ol' Lizard Lips.

X

Wildwing and Mallory attacked the ones that were supposed to attack them from behind. Although Mallory's sight was limited by the smoke, her breathing was not and she was able to see a bit better than the humans who were coughing and stumbling blindly. The smoke cleared faster than their lungs and between the two of them, they were able to make short work of the humans.

Doing their best to remain silent and not alert the humans to their positions, both Wildwing and Mallory took a flying leap and knocked out the first two with flying kicks. Mallory's military instincts kicked in and she grabbed the next person and threw him over her shoulder and into the wall. She could hear him grunt as Wildwing shot with his puck blaster, knocking the weapons out of the others' hands.

While a couple of the people were clearly not cut out for physical battle, a couple of them were and Mallory and Wildwing found themselves fighting up close.

Mallory was able to hold her ground, but Wildwing found himself having a bit of trouble. He couldn't help but feel that it was ironic… as a goalie he was able to block shots coming from a distance… but as a fighter he was having trouble keeping up with any punches and kicks coming his way.

The best he could do was to try to defend himself.

"Mallory!" he called out to her.

Mallory glanced over to him and saw his dilemma. "Be there in a moment!" she called back to him.

Mallory swept her last attacker off his feet with a low sweep. He hit the ground hard and didn't get back up, moaning.

Mallory then ran over to Wildwing and leapt into the air. Wildwing ducked and Mallory kicked out, catching Wildwing's opponent on the face.

Wildwing and Mallory panted, trying to catch their breaths.

"Ready?" he asked her, motioning ahead.

X

Duke was able to slice through a few of the guns with his sabers. Grin's size didn't keep the duck from moving fast and Grin was able to quietly move through the cluster of people, chopping at the back of their necks and pulling their weapons out of their hands. One smaller human managed to duck low enough to avoid contact, but Duke was right there to catch the guy.

Duke used his grappling gun's cable to tie up the gunmen. He sighed and wiped his forehead.

"Thought we weren't gonna make it for a moment there," he admitted.

Grin just gave him a small smile. "We were just better prepared."

X

Richard growled as he could hear the fighting going on in the two different directions. From the sounds of it, his people were losing and no matter which way he went, he would probably meet defeat as well.

"Boss?" asked one of the men.

Inwardly he couldn't help but curse Jarrod for being so foolish as to taking off for a stupid reason as revenge.

"I severely miscalculated," he said. "Call those waiting at the rendezvous and tell them to scatter. We'll take the other tunnel to the vacant lot and wait until it's clear before escaping."

"We're leaving the others behind?"

"For now. We'll get them back. We may have lost the hostages, but at least we've got the money."

X

Canard shot a puck towards Dragaunus.

As luck would have it, one of the dumb droids walked right into the path of the puck and went down, alerting Dragaunus to the attack from behind.

"Look out!" shouted Tanya, as she dodged to one side.

Dragaunus had reacted almost instantly, shooting his laser in the direction of the attack.

Canard hissed as the laser actually caught the top of his hand, causing him to drop his puck launcher.

Tanya shot back, giving Canard enough time to recover his weapon as Dragaunus dodged the puck. Diving to the ground, Canard fired several rounds as Dragaunus shouted for his droids to attack.

"To the left!" Canard shouted, noticing that one of the droids seemed to be in a blind spot for Tanya.

Although the droids were now forming a wall between them and Dragaunus, Canard could see the saurian glancing back to the direction Nosedive had run to, as if trying to make up his mind to fight or follow.

While Canard had faith that the kid could handle his own in a battle, he also knew that Nosedive probably wasn't emotionally ready to confront Dragaunus. He couldn't let him go after the young mallard.

Tanya kept glancing behind them. "Where the heck are his goons?" she asked.

Canard shook his head. "Either they're waiting for a moment to strike or they're fighting with one of the others."

"You may be winning this round," they suddenly heard Dragaunus say. "But next time may not be so easy."

Dragaunus's form wavered and then he disappeared as he teleported out of there. Canard and Tanya had to backpedal as a couple of the droids seemed to suddenly self destruct while others continued advancing forward to attack.

"Watch my back, Tanya," Canard commented as he changed direction and charged towards the oncoming droids.

Tanya took careful aim with her blaster.

X

Nosedive heard the echoing sounds of lasers and puck blasters as he ran from Dragaunus. He wanted to head back but his fear of meeting Dragaunus head on kept him from going back.

And from the sounds of it, only part of his team were fighting.

If he was able to get to the top and track the rest of his team mates, he'd be able to bring back up to whoever was currently fighting the saurian. Nosedive ducked back through one of the tunnels, leaning up against the side of the tube, arm still feeling numb.

He made his way and started back to where the kids were suppose to get out when he saw someone moving up ahead.

It was a human figure.

Nosedive squinted his eyes, trying to see better in the dark.

The figure began moving quickly towards him at the exact moment that Nosedive realized who it was.

"Oh, great!" he muttered to himself as he scrambled back into one of the pipes.

"Come back here, duckie boy!" he heard the disgruntled voice of Jarrod Hinks shout.

Nosedive tried to keep his balance going against the flow of the slimy water, refusing to shout out a reply to keep Hinks from guessing how far he was.

He was almost through when he glanced back and saw Hinks hoisting himself up.

"Oh, pucks," Nosedive grunted. He was the proverbial sitting duck. If Hinks fired his gun, there was not much room Dive had to dodge other than throwing himself into the actual sewer water, and that was something he was desperately trying to avoid.

He pushed forward, pocketing his blaster and fumbling with the controls on his wrist.

"Gotcha!" he heard Hinks yell, and he quickly turned around, activating his shield. The bullet ricocheted as Nosedive found himself stumbling back. Hinks pressed his back up against the side and lost his footing, sliding down into the murky water.

Nosedive took the chance to turn and run the rest of the distance, jumping out of the pipe as he heard Hinks yell after him. "I don't care anymore! You're dead!" Another gunshot rang out.

Up ahead, Nosedive could see that there was a ladder. He knew he only had seconds to reach it and start climbing before Hinks made it out of the pipe.

X

Klegghorn stopped. "He should be coming right about here," he said.

"Then let's get this open!"

Agent Belle and Captain Klegghorn knelt and moved the manhole cover, adrenaline giving them the strength they needed to left it high enough to slide it.

"I'll go first," said Klegghorn. He stepped onto the rung and began to quickly climb down the ladder. Agent Belle followed.

As they neared the bottom, they paused when they heard a gunshot and the sound of someone running. Klegghorn took a deep breath and he let himself drop the rest of the way.

Nosedive let out a startled yelp as Klegghorn landed right in front of him. The human then leapt forward and tackled Nosedive to the ground as another bullet shot rang out. A moment later, Agent Belle dropped down as well and fired her own gun in the direction the shot came from.

A pained yelp and a small splash let them know that at the very least, Hinks was now unarmed.

"Freeze!" Belle shouted. "I won't give anymore warnings, dirtbag!"

Nosedive looked at Klegghorn and then at Belle. "Uh, friend of yours?" he couldn't help but ask.

"Hardly," snorted Klegghorn.

X

"Dive!" Wildwing ran to hug his brother but stopped short. "Ugh!"

"Yeah, I know. Smelling really ripe here and in desperate need of a shower, dude."

"There is no way he's riding with us in the Migrator," said Mallory with a small laugh but a serious look on her face.

"Hey, I'm not the only one!" Dive pointed at Canard and Tanya, who at least looked better off than Nosedive.

"That's what the Duckcycles are for," commented Tanya.

"And I call driver's seat!" both Tanya and Canard called, not wanting to be the passenger.

"No fair!" cried out Dive. "Fine!"

Canard couldn't help but grin as he watched the team celebrate their reunion, showing their gratefulness that Nosedive was fine and congratulating Wildwing on managing the rescue.

Wing turned to look at him with a smug look.

Canard just gave him a small salute. He also made a decision that he knew could impact the team. But hopefully it would be for the better.

X

Klegghorn's men were loading up the captured gunmen into the police van. Hinks was cursing up a storm, shouting that he would get his revenge. According to witnesses and the Ducks, they didn't have everyone. It was going to be a long day of interrogations to see if the captured men would accept any deals in exchange for information on the men that got away.

Belle's men were gathering, having gotten the gunfight under control thanks to the Anaheim police team. Word was that several gang members were caught. There were no fatalities, but there were some injured from all sides. Ambulances were already on their way to hospitals to take care of them.

While his chief was calling him and demanding to know all information, Klegghorn could see that Agent Belle's director was most likely calling in. Judging by her face, he was not happy with something. Even though she was bossy and somewhat hard to work with, Klegghorn hoped her director wasn't completely blaming the loss of control on her. It really was an elaborate plan of diversion that the crooks cooked up.

Agent Belle snapped her phone shut as he finished up with his call.

Klegghorn couldn't help but wonder about the expression on her face.

"Anything wrong?" he asked.

Belle just gave him a bitter smile.

"Nothing to concern yourself with." She moved away from him. "Just make sure you keep an eye on those guys." She nodded to the Migrator that was pulling away. "Even though they're helpful, they're still civilians."

Klegghorn snorted. "I'll do my best, but it's easier said than done."

Belle smirked and then turned around and headed to her car.

Klegghorn couldn't help but wonder if he would get a chance to work with her again.

X

Wraith, Siege, and Chameleon watched as Dragaunus reappeared looking like he battled an army. Despite looking beaten, he had a look of victory on his face.

"Uh, boss?" Chameleon asked. "Are you okay?"

"Just fine," said Dragaunus as he made his way to the monitors. He pushed a series of buttons and an image of the battle Duke and Grin were involved in showed up. He may have lost his chance to nab Nosedive, and he may have only gotten four of the ducks' battle techniques recorded, but that was more than half the team. If he studied it long enough to exploit their weakness, the missing information would not matter.

X

Canard watched as his team members made their way into the Pond. They were joking and laughing, cheering each other on at a job well done.

He watched as Wildwing held Nosedive in a one armed embrace, looking happy and proud.

He couldn't help but smirk inwardly at the thought of how Nosedive would react after Canard told him how Wildwing had little faith of him.

But then again, Nosedive had been in trouble. Canard decided to keep the conversation they had earlier quiet. It looked like whatever rift had been occurring was suddenly mending on its own. And he did not want to be responsible to interrupt the healing process they seemed to be starting.

As they piled into the rec room of the Pond, sitting down on the couches in front of the giant screen, Canard made his way to the center and waited.

One by one the ducks noticed him standing there in silence and they began to quiet down.

"Canard?" asked Dive, feeling the sense of something serious before noticing how everyone had gone quiet.

"It's something that's been bothering me for a while now," Canard started off. "But I just didn't know what it was. I mean, back when I first selected you guys as the team, I chose most of you for your strengths. The others do to loyalty, and one as an extra, really. Sorry, Dive."

Nosedive waved his hand, signifying that it no longer bothered him.

"When I disappeared, I handed the mask over to Wildwing. He was no team captain, but he took the challenge and really did wonders with you guys. And I've been realizing how my return really changed some of those dynamics, and I want to apologize."

"Uh, sir?" asked Mallory.

Canard shook his head. "Let me get this out. Today I handed the mask back to Wildwing because he was being stubborn. And considering how long we've been working together, you guys were able to switch gears and follow him without question, and you guys did great. It made me realize that I had no right to step in as captain since I gave up that position long ago. You guys saw Wing as your captain and had a bit of trouble adjusting to accepting me back as one. So I want to fix that."

Canard handed the mask over to Wing. "As of now, I'm resigning as team captain."

"Canard," murmured Wildwing, dumbfounded as he held onto the mask.

Canard gave him a small smile. "Uh, no need to say anything. I'm heading out for a bit. Wing, you're in charge now."

Canard stepped away, leaving behind his team who were all stunned into silence. But they all felt a bit disturbed at Canard's parting words. They were too eerily similar to what they thought were his last words when he went missing.

**In the Next Episode of Mighty Ducks:**

_Klegghorn rubbed his ear several seconds after his ex hung up on him. He then rubbed his face and sighed, already feeling exhausted for the day._

"_What more can be thrown at me?" he asked to no one in particular._

_His phone rang again._

"_Captain Klegghorn," he responded._

"_Captain! Just got a phoned threat in about a bomb at The Pond!"_

_Klegghorn felt his eye twitch. "It was a rhetorical question," he muttered._

_X_

"_Are you trying to make my day worse?" Klegghorn asked Canard through the communicator as he stared at the dozen of patrol cars parked in front of a small shop._

"_I'm sorry?" responded the duck, keeping his voice low while sounding utterly confused._

"_All your bird buddies are trapped in the Pond which is currently being searched and you find yourself in an armed hostage situation. Why couldn't you all be together or partnered up with someone like you normally are?"_

_X_

"_There is no way you can hold us responsible for this," Canard and Wildwing both said as they pressed up against the wall._

_Klegghorn glared at them as Grin motioned for several people to run past him into the emergency stairwells. "Oh yes I can," he growled as the grey mallard disappeared, being the escort for the civilians._


	11. Ep 10: Klegghorn: The Man With

_A/N: Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series and canon characters belong to Disney and its affiliates. These works of fiction are written solely for entertainment. _

Captain Klegghorn: The Man With the Badge

_We've been introduced before. It was shortly after those annoying Ducks from another dimension arrived in our relatively quiet city of Anaheim. My name is Barnaby Peter Klegghorn. But everyone calls me Captain Klegghorn. I prefer it that way._

_Contrary to popular belief, my life didn't become complicated with the arrival of the Ducks. They just added another layer to the complications that were already underway. Strangely enough, their antics and dilemmas were downright more manageable than the tangled mess going on behind the scenes at my department. Their issues were straight forward compared to mine. At least until the red lizard man messed with their family. Then things for them were about as complicated as mine. _

_I won't say that I had no sympathy for them, because I did. But I also won't say that it made us friends. There are days I really hate their guts._

_It just made us tolerable. I think._

_Just like the relationship between me and my superior._

_Commissioner Lyons is more of a grouch than I am. Or rather, he's the main reason why I've been such a grouch these past few years. I mean, I was always strict and focused on the job, but for some reason, the man has it out for me. Rumor is that he's afraid I'll be selected to take over before he reaches retirement. As if I want his job._

_He's so two-faced about everything. He condones the ducks actions, stating that he has no use for my department. Then he rants and raves and demands to know why I haven't taken any action against the ducks._

_It's the way it always goes, day in and day out._

_But these past few days have really taken the cake._

_Not only have I been dealing with the Commish… but I've been bouncing back and forth between the ducks, the feds, a bomb threat and a robbery turned hostage situation, with ducks sprinkled in between, the court systems… and to top things off, my ex wife and son._

_Yeah, you heard right._

_A son._

_Oh, and a wife, once upon a time._

_Don't get me wrong. I love hearing about my son. I just wish the timing and circumstance was better. With all that was happening, I can't help but feel more irritable. And worried. Could there not be a day that things could go smoothly just once? _

X

_The majority of my current problems began about three days ago. _

Captain Klegghorn glanced at his office clock as he settled down into his chair. As soon as he was down, the phone began to ring.

_I'll be honest. When I heard it go off, I really thought it was going to be Duck related. After all, that seemed to be the recurring trend since they arrived._

_Instead, to my unhappy surprise, it was my ex-wife calling. We didn't part on good terms. But despite the nagging calls she still made, the timing was way off._

"Carol?" Klegghorn's eyes were wide as his voice faltered at the sound of her voice.

_You see, Carol had the tendency to wait until I was home to give me a call._

_To be calling this early in the day meant that something was potentially wrong._

"What is it?" he asked.

His wife's voice came through the phone, lacking its typical nagging tone, replaced by worry and concern.

"Danny's missing."

"What? What do you mean, missing?"

"He's gone, Barnaby. I went to check his room and he was gone. Hasn't come back since last night."

"Did something happen last night?"

"Oh, he started with his nonsense again about moving out of state to attend the Academy."

Klegghorn sighed. "I hope you didn't call it nonsense while you were talking about it, Carol. You know how that sets him off."

"But it is nonsense!" The nagging voice was back.

_Danny is an only child. It wasn't really by choice. I'd like to think had things worked out between Carol and me, there would have been at least three. Maybe five. I came from a large family, and so did Carol. I guess I expected it to be that way. On the day of that call, I did my best to ignore her as she went off on what a bad career choice Danny was making. _

_He wanted to follow my footsteps and work in law enforcement. _

_I'll admit that I would rather have him be aim to be a lawyer, as it would be less dangerous, but then again…_

_My family couldn't talk me out of being a cop when I first started._

_Listening to her ranting, I was a bit regretful at having married the woman. But I loved her once and we had happy times. It would be cruel for me to wish we never were married._

_Danny was the best thing that came out of our marriage._

_Carol wasn't always against my line of work. Back when I was a rookie cop, she was the only one who supported me. Things changed as I got promoted. I'm pretty sure it had a lot to do with the extra time I had to spend in the office._

_That's when things changed. She seemed bitter about it. Hated it._

_It was always difficult, trying to juggle between my love for my wife and the love for my job._

_She didn't give me much of a chance to continue trying to work things out._

_One evening I had come home to find divorce papers on the dining table instead of a cold dinner like I was used to. All of her belongings had been packed, as well as Danny's stuff. She had taken off with him._

_I didn't bother to fight it._

_Although at first I did fight against her decision to try to gain full custody of Danny. Because I had no history of domestic violence, I was granted permission to have him during the summer and any major holidays as she was planning on moving across the country._

_But work kept me too busy to take care of Danny, and after a few years, I just stopped fighting all together. It wasn't fair to keep putting Danny in the middle of our fights, and I'll admit I never spoke with Danny frankly regarding the situation._

_I can't help but wonder if Danny ever resented my choices. Especially since he use to say how much he wished he lived with me rather than his mother. But little by little those opinions faded._

_After he stopped flying over, he kept up with phone calls here and there. Then any communication we had just stopped._

_I would send a holiday cards and birthday cards, you know, hoping I'd hear from him. Or about him._

_Just not like this._

"Why don't you do something?" Carol's voice screeched into his ear, snapping Klegghorn out of his thoughts.

"What do you want me to do?" the detective asked with a sigh.

"Can't you use your connections to find him?"

"Carol, Danny is no longer a minor. Unless there is evidence that his life is in danger, they won't search for him until he's been missing for 72 hours. Or 48 at the very least. "

"You're useless! You never cared! Why do I even bother trying to talk with you?"

_Amazing how she still acted like she was the injured party_. _My think my ear is still ringing from the force she used to slam her phone. I think that's the only reason why she hasn't switched to a digital hand set_.

Klegghorn rubbed his ear several seconds after his ex hung up on him. He then rubbed his face and sighed, already feeling exhausted for the day.

"What more can be thrown at me?" he asked to no one in particular.

His phone rang again.

"Captain Klegghorn," he responded.

"Captain! Just got a phoned threat in about a bomb at The Pond!"

Klegghorn felt his eye twitch. "It was a rhetorical question," he muttered.

"Sir?"

"I'll be right there. And someone get the Feds on the line."

_You'd think I'd learn not to ask any variation of 'What can go wrong?' working in Anaheim._

X

_I'll be honest. Working with Feds tends to give me a headache. I'd rather not deal with a majority of them. However, bombing cases do fall under their jurisdiction and to give them a hard time would keep me in the bad spot light with the Commish. He was still a bit sour about the Decker incident. Not my fault the man hired to take over me was a loon._

_Oh, he did try to make amends. But that only lasted a week. _

_The whole collapsing of the Extravagant Resort put me right back on his black list, even though it was a mistake of the feds part._

_Although I'll admit, working with Agent Belle wasn't so bad. _

_I liked her._

_Too bad it wasn't her that was responded to this incident._

_It was some obnoxious pretty boy agent going by the name of Kimble. You know. The type more concerned with his appearance so that he always looks good for any photo op that presents itself._

_Also the type that thinks we are incompetent fools._

_Now I may not like the feds, but it's not because I see them as incompetent. I just think they think way too highly of themselves. And having had this brat look at me like I was gum underneath his pristine and shiny shoes… no. After dealing with him for a few seconds, I just had to ask._

"What happened to Agent Belle?"

Agent Kimble laughed, his green eyes lacking any mirth. "She was transferred after her foul up. Not that anyone should be surprised-a woman like her trying to make it into the big leagues. What was she thinking? I'm the agent in charge of this district now."

"Your masculinity must be rejoicing in the removal of such a threat," Klegghorn grumbled.

"Ha ha… hey." The agent shot Klegghorn another dirty look.

_Oh yeah. He was also a chauvinistic pig at heart._

"I'll leave the work to you guys in trying to find out how legit this threat is. I'll go tell the bird brains the news. After all, they prefer the Anaheim police over feds any day," Klegghorn couldn't help but say with a smirk.

_Or rather, they preferred to deal with me since they knew me and had given me a communicator a while back ago. And it wasn't completely just to tell them the feds would be on their way to investigate. Since the communicator worked like a key, I'd be able to get in directly without having to wait on them and waste precious minutes._

_They were going to need at least a few minutes to secure every entrance that led to their secret den, and leave the rest of the area open._

_The public area._

_Not that it mattered. Those ducks had ways to scan for explosives. And if not, that girl duck Tanya would come up with something quick._

_But we all have to keep up appearances. _

Klegghorn walked into the arena and found them on the ice practicing. He noticed that they were missing one of their members.

"Where's Canard?" he asked.

_Let me tell you, I'm kind of glad that I no longer stumble over their names. Trust me, their names are not that hard. It's just that for me it's never comfortable addressing someone I'm not close friends to by their first name. Of course these ducks never offered their last names. If they even have any._

_It just make it that much more difficult to maintain professionalism amongst them since I have to be so informal with them._

Nosedive took off his helmet and skated over to Klegghorn. "He was gone this morning, Cap. Just left a note saying he went out for a walk. He hasn't answered his unit either." The blonde looked slightly worried.

Klegghorn gave the blonde duck a small smile.

_In a strange way, Nosedive reminded me of my son. Of course I'd rather die than admit that to anyone._

_It's obvious by his speech and manners that he's not that much older than Danny. He may even be younger._

_Yet here he was, fighting a war that the public only just got to learn about. A dangerous battle against the red lizard that wants to take over the world._

_I couldn't… and still can't… understand why Wildwing allowed his brother to be in such danger._

_But then again, being brothers was probably something different. He would see him more as an equal._

_Had he been a parent… it probably would have been different._

Wildwing came up behind Nosedive, ruffling his hair and giving him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure he's fine. He just needs to get some things sorted." Wildwing looked at Klegghorn. "What can we do for you, Captain?" he asked, polite as always.

"Are you in charge then for right now?" Klegghorn asked.

Wildwing looked slightly uncomfortable. "Yeah, you can say that."

"A bomb threat against the Pond came in."

"What?" The rest of the ducks skated over.

Klegghorn shrugged. "It could be a prank, but it still warrants an arrest when we find the caller. I got here to give you guys a few minutes to bolt down or do whatever you do to keep outsiders from getting inside. The feds are coming over to inspect the place from top to bottom to make sure there is no bomb."

"Why can't your team do it?" asked Wildwing.

Klegghorn sighed. "Most bomb threats become a federal case taking it out of my hands. I was only able to stall for time to give you guys a chance to hide your stuff."

"Thanks," Wildwing said.

Klegghorn waved at Wildwing. "It's nothing. Just… don't go anywhere. Every time you guys go out, something big always seems to happen."

"Oy, it's not like we go out looking for trouble, you know?" commented Duke, hand on his hip.

Klegghorn gave him a smirk. "Yeah, it knows where you are at all times. See you guys later."

"Sure thing, Captain. Oh, and… uh…"

Klegghorn glanced back as he walked away. "Yeah, yeah. If I see Canard I'll send him your way. Just one of you out there is enough trouble. Don't want to tempt fate any more today."

_Oh, if I only knew…_

X

Klegghorn was typing his preliminary report when his phone rang. He glanced at it, hesitant to answer.

_I knew, if I picked up that phone, it was going to be one of three things. My ex, Lyons, or something duck related._

_Guess who won that round?_

"Barnaby! I came home and just checked his room. Things are gone!"

"What things?"

"His stuff! His drawers were thrown open, and his closet! I think we were robbed! Someone had to be looking for something! Now will you use your connections to call someone to look for him?"

_Hearing that left me a bit worried. But it's difficult to tell what has transpired from words along. And I had no way of seeing what state my son's room was in through verbal descriptions alone._

"Have you already tried calling the NYPD about it?" he asked his ex.

Carol gave him an angry huff. "They're accusing me of being paranoid! They think he's the one that emptied out the room! But it couldn't have been him!"

"Was anything else missing from the house?"

"No, and don't you dare say the same thing! I know something happened to Danny. You come over here now and help me look for him!"

Klegghorn sighed. "It's not that easy, Carol. I can't just up and leave. I have to make arrangements."

"You just don't care."

The phone beeped as she disconnected from him for a second time that day.

Klegghorn sighed once more and hung up to phone yet again.

_Right after that, I did begin to search the schedules for both flights and staff. I needed to find someone who could fill in for me and be willing to swap shifts._

_At least I knew my staff well enough to know who was and wasn't a family man._

_I had found two potential candidates. But when I reached over to give the fellow captains a call, my phone rang again._

"Klegghorn," he responded again.

"It's Lyons."

_Grrr. I'd rather deal with Carol than the Comissh._

"What can I do for you, Commissioner?"

"The trial for the Decker case has been moved up for the day after tomorrow. Depo is tomorrow in the morning, 11 o'clock. Be there. And make sure the ducks check their messages. It's integral to the case that they testify what happened."

"Sir?"

"The ducks have been recognized as citizens, Klegghorn. It's about time they perform a public civil duty and be introduced to our court systems. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," Klegghorn growled out.

_Figures Lyons would find a way to make things harder for me. _

_Okay, okay. That's a bit unfair._

_Even I know that man doesn't have the power to move up trial dates to inconvenience me._

_But it did mean that I wasn't going to be able to fly out to New York until three days from then, after the trial._

_Which left me hoping Carol was overreacting._

_But what was Danny up to? He was always a smart kid. Running away was never a concern with him._

_I found myself getting ready for a second trip to the Pond. _

_I was hoping that the feds were done with their search._

_Although getting through with them on the communicator would be easier, this was too important not to talk to them personally about it._

X

"Are you trying to make my day worse?" Klegghorn asked Canard through the communicator as he stared at the dozen of patrol cars parked in front of a small shop.

"I'm sorry?" responded the duck, keeping his voice low while sounding utterly confused.

"All your bird buddies are trapped in the Pond which is currently being searched and you find yourself in an armed hostage situation. Why couldn't you all be together or partnered up with someone like you normally are?"

"The Pond is being searched?"

"Never mind. Let's worry about you first."

Klegghorn put away the communicator and made his way to one of the patrol cars.

_What a big surprise I had._

_Not._

_On my way to the Pond a call came in about an armed robbery turned hostage situations. Of course that took priority over being messenger boy._

_I had a gut feeling that this wasn't going to be completely human related._

_Lo and behold… when I got there I saw one of the Duck's cycles parked in front of the store._

_I took my chances and hailed Canard on the communicator._

_He responded._

_As it turned out, the tan mallard was near the store's storage room when the perp came in and had his inside the room. I knew that as long as he remained undetected, he would be my ace in this game._

"What's the status?" Klegghorn asked a uniform standing nearby.

"Captain! Swat team's ETA is less than five. Eleven hostages…"

"Twelve."

"Sir?"

"There's a twelfth hidden that I got in contact with."

"Oh boy. Twelve hostages and the perp is demanding for a car."

"Yeah, right. Okay. Where's the negotiator?"

_At least Canard handled himself well. Or so he told me._

X

Canard sighed as he leaned against the wall. Briefly he wondered if it weren't for whatever was going down at the Pond, would the team be aggravated with the situation he found himself in.

Obviously Captain Klegghorn was. At least that's what Canard gathered from the tone of the human's voice over the communicator.

Maybe if he was lucky this whole thing would be over before the investigation was and he would brush it off as something that wasn't so dangerous.

The communicator beeped.

"Cap?"

"Negotiator is speaking with the suspect right now, but it sounds like he's only being further agitated. SWATs confirmed that he's moved further from the front of the store and is using the hostages as a shield. He's currently near the back of the store. Think you can take him out?"

"Asking for civilian help? I'm touched."

"Save it. None of this goes on record if they ask you."

"Understood. Would it help to say that I was already formulating a plan before you contacted me?"

"I'm sure you were. Be careful."

Canard readied his puck launcher in stun mode and made his way to the store room, slowly unlocking and opening the door just enough to see what was going on. The door way was situated in a hallway that looked out into the small convenience store. From there he could see the gunman pacing behind the row of hostages, shouting into a cordless phone.

Canard judged the height of the man and waited until he walked past the hallway once more before squeezing out of the room, back up against the wall. He raised his puck launcher and waited.

He knew he would have to gain the man's attention to get him to stop for just a second, otherwise he would risk hurting one of the hostages.

With his trigger finger tightening, he could hear the gunman approaching.

As the man crossed the front of the hall, Canard let out a sharp whistle.

The gunman turned around, lowering the phone while raising his gun, but Canard proved to be faster and shot at him.

A puck went off and knocked the man against his chest, sending a shock wave through him. With a strangled cry, the man collapsed, and the hostages took the opportunity to run out, screaming.

Canard sighed and waited for the police and SWAT to come charging in.

X

Klegghorn slid a cup of soda over to Canard as they sat in his office. "So seeing an opportunity you went ahead and attacked the gunman," he said, looking over the written report in his hand.

Canard grinned. "Yes, sir."

"While you acted with bravery, let me remind you to leave this job to the police," Klegghorn responded without real bite.

_At least the duck understood about keeping appearances. The Commish paced outside my office, waiting for me to be done with the "witness." But I still had things to tell him._

Klegghorn placed the report down and leaned back. "I got word from the situation at the Pond on our way back. Seems that there was a bomb behind one of the concession stands."

"Seriously?"

"It must have been placed there during one of your last games since you guys have outstanding security there. It was also a poorly built bomb according to the bomb squad. If it had detonated, it would have injured anyone within three feet, possibly first degree burns to those about 5 feet from the heat of the blast."

"That's poorly built?"

"It's meant to take out anything within a 15 feet radius. But they did get some prints off the casing and are checking on it now."

"Well, that's somewhat of a relief. Since nothing major happened at the Pond, I'm thinking the others aren't going to tell me anything, so… can you keep this little drama hushed as well?"

_I don't laugh often. But I did that day._

_I had no problems keeping things hushed. But this was Anaheim, home of the ducks and lizards._

"You didn't pay attention to the news vans, did you? Your heroic deeds are probably being broadcast as we speak."

Canard moaned.

"Besides, Commissioner Lyons claims you guys need to start performing your civil duties. Even if your team didn't find out now, they would once whoever planted the bomb is captured and you have to give your testimony in court. "

"Court?"

Klegghorn nodded. "Speaking of which, your first trial is coming up. Your team needs to be at the courthouse tomorrow at 11 am. I'll be there. The Decker trial is going to start, and some of you are key witnesses and you need to be prepared for what the defense is gonna throw at you guys."

"Sounds like fun," Canard stated, bemused.

"Well, this ain't no tv show or a work of fiction. This is the glamorous life of us cops that are rarely mentioned."

_Too bad life can't wrap up cases like shows within a half hour to an hour tops._

X

_When I finally got home that day, I saw that I had several missed calls on my answering machine. Of course the first five were from Carol, all demanding that I call her back. Considering that she had called me at the office eight times after wards according to the time stamp, I deleted the messages. I had already spoken to her._

_Another message was from a telemarketer, which I deleted before I could learn about whatever he was selling, and then there was a hang up with an unknown number._

_Oh, and the feds also called. They had actually caught the bombing suspect. I'll admit, I was rather surprised they took the time to let me know._

_Anyways, I did jot down when the hang up occurred, since it was left about an hour before the feds claimed to have caught the suspect. I mean, with all the news media that surrounds the ducks, a genius isn't needed to speculate just how deep my involvement with the ducks go._

_The timing of the call was just too close in my opinion to brush it off. It could have been the bomber wanting to leave some taunting message. Or it could have been a reporter hoping for some inside information._

_I wrapped things up and settled in for the night._

X

_The next day was not much better._

"There is no way you can hold us responsible for this," Canard and Wildwing both said as they pressed up against the wall.

Klegghorn glared at them as Grin motioned for several people to run past him into the emergency stairwells. "Oh yes I can," he growled as the grey mallard disappeared, being the escort for the civilians.

_A deposition is suppose to be just a simple meeting between witnesses and lawyers. Nothing more, nothing less. But because the birds were involved, things just had to escalate into a disaster. _

_But maybe I was being a bit unfair in casting the blame on them. After all… the mayhem started a few rooms away._

"But it's not like that lunatic came from our court room!" argued Nosedive, who was standing across the hall, also pressed up against the wall. He pulled back a bit as several shots rang out, hitting the corners of the hallways.

_As it turned out… the guy causing the trouble was the same guy who tried to bomb the arena._

"Yeah, well, he was here for a preliminary sentencing since he pleaded guilty to placing the bomb in your stadium."

"That's the guy?" asked Duke, standing behind Nosedive.

"I fail to see how that's our fault," added Canard.

"He's a disgruntled fan. Felt you slighted him by not responding to his fan mail."

_Some people really need to get a life._

"Are you serious?" asked Nosedive. "Does he have any idea how many letters we get? Phil had to hire four people to sort through all that. Four! And that's only because he was too cheap to hire more!"

"Your fault for not being fast readers," Klegghorn stated.

"Hey. I'm a very fast reader," protested Tanya, kneeling between Wildwing and Canard. She made some quick adjustments to her puck launcher that had misfired just seconds before.

"Cover me. I'm going in for Lyons."

_Yeah, yeah. The man who has it out for me was trapped and I had made the decision to go in after him. Just because I don't like a person doesn't mean I'll abandon him in his time of need. That's what being a cop should be like._

Wildwing nodded. "At the count of three we'll start firing and keep him pinned. That's when you go for the room the Commissioner is in. We'll signal you to come out. If Grin gets back before that, we'll use him to take this guy out."

Klegghorn nodded once. Wildwing glanced across the hall to where his brother, Mallory, and Duke were holed up.

He held up three fingers and dropped them one by one. Pulling his hand back, all ducks began firing as the perpetrator ducked back into his hiding spot, yelling.

Klegghorn shot out under the volley of puck shots and dashed into the room that lay between the ducks and the shooter.

Closing the door behind him, he found himself face to face with the pale face of the Commissioner. "Klegghorn!" the man exclaimed.

"We'll get you out in a moment, Commish."

"You get me out and I'll grant you anything within reason."

"Days off starting tomorrow."

"What?"

"I have personal matters to attend, sir."

"Understood, Captain. They'll be granted. Baring any urgent matter, of course."

Klegghorn sighed.

_I knew that was the best I was going to get from the man. Not that it mattered. One way or another, I was going to take off for New York the following day._

Klegghorn's com unit beeped. "Are you ready?" Wildwing asked.

"Just tell me when."

"Go!"

"Stay low," Klegghorn warned Lyons as he grabbed the man by his sleeve and dragged him out of the room. He ducked into the hallway Nosedive was in, knowing that the hallway led to the closest stairwell possible.

"Go, sir," Klegghorn shouted, turning back towards where the shooter was.

"Thanks, Captain. Superb job as usual. Now finish it off and stop that guy."

With those words, the Commissioner headed towards the flight of stairs and exited.

"Wow. Isn't he a prize."

"You should try working for him."

The stairwell opened up to reveal Grin.

"Everyone is outside safe," he said.

"Great!" said Canard. "I'm pretty sure that guy is running out of ammo. Tanya here figured out a way to temporarily expand the personal shield to cover you from head to toe." He paused and glanced at Wildwing. "But he can give you the rest of the details."

_I was a bit thrown off by that remark. I wasn't sure if there was some power struggle going on or if Canard was completely giving leadership control back to Wildwing. It would explain why he suddenly was wearing the mask again._

Wildwing looked at Canard, but with the mask donned, no one knew what his expression really was.

"Plan is pretty simple, Grin. I got a good look at the guy. He's small. We'll be using your size to intimidate him enough to give up."

"Sometimes going simple is enough," said Grin.

"Give me your unit," Tanya ordered, holding her hand out. Grin gave her his shield which she tweaked quickly and handed it back to him.

"Just activate and check him."

Grin nodded and did as he was told.

_I knew he was fast on ice. I didn't realize he could move fast while running, too._

The large duck charged up the hall, activating his shield so that the few bullets still flying his way ricocheted into the walls. They all heard the shooter scream out in fear as Grin's body slammed into his little fort of desks and chairs and him, sending the suspect flying back into the wall.

Looking dazed, the guy looked up at him. "Heh. I was just checked by a Mighty Duck. Awesome." The guy promptly passed out.

"Well, that was a bit anticlimactic," Klegghorn muttered as they all approached the individual.

"Makes things more simple, don't it?" asked Duke.

_If only that were true…_

X

Canard came out of Klegghorn's office, sighing and turning to shake his hand.

"That was kind of different," said Duke, coming out of another office.

"The joys of being a citizen. You are now required to help write up a statement," said Klegghorn, smirking.

_So I relished the idea of them getting a small taste of what I had been going through with them. Big whoop._

"That was like doing school work!" Nosedive claimed.

_And that reminded me of another issue…_

"You know, you're still a minor under our standards. Wildwing, he needs to have a tutor at least to pass GED classes unless you plan to enroll him in high school."

"What?"

Wildwing gave Klegghorn an amused look. "I'll look into it."

"What?"

Klegghorn looked at all of them. "Now I'm heading out of town for a couple days. I won't be around to pull you guys's tail feathers out of any trouble so stay put."

"Like we did when that nut job tried to bomb us? Yeah, sure," Canard said, laughing.

"Don't tempt fate, mallard," growled Klegghorn.

X

_I had a few more messages when I got back home that day. This time around, Carol had called me ten different times, none of the messages being pleasant, and one that was nothing but static sound._

_I deleted them all and hopped onto the computer to book a flight to New York._

_Fortunately for me, there was a morning flight available._

Klegghorn leaned over and picked up his phone. Taking a deep breath, he called Carol back.

"My plane arrives at 4," he said. "I'll meet you at the house."

X

_Yesterday had me investigating my son's own room. A couple of posters were missing, seeing how there was some discoloration on the wall. The bed was unmade, which according to Carol was how it was left. Drawers were left open, more than half were empty. Same with the closet. There were bare hangers haphazardly strewn about both on the floor and on the rack. A few articles of clothing were on the floor, but not enough to account for all the available space._

_Haven't been to a lot of crimes scenes, I knew my ex was being too paranoid. _

_This room may have looked ransacked at a quick glance, but I could see the truth._

_Danny himself had left here in a hurry, and he left with a lot of anger judging by the state of things._

_But Carol wasn't going to listen to that considering that she would have taken it as me accusing her of making Danny angry._

Klegghorn stepped out of the room, and looked at the tiny blond woman who had her hands on her hips and an angry scowl on her face. Even though she had a thin body, her face was a bit on the round side and she had a few wrinkles near her brows and mouth.

_I guess both Carol and I developed some frown lines. But I wouldn't ever tell her that._

"Well?" Carol demanded.

Klegghorn sighed. "Has he ever given you a list of phone numbers from his friends?"

"None of the ones I have know anything," she snapped.

Klegghorn frowned. "Not even Ed?"

"Those two don't even talk to each other anymore."

"Do you still have his number?"

_As a detective, you didn't leave a single stone unturned. Sometimes the most unlikely places turn out with vital information._

X

"Sorry, Mr. K. I don't have anything to say at the moment. Danny did call me a few days ago, and it was just to go off about everything. I mean, we haven't really talked much online, much less the phone. Wait… I did get a message. It was badly broken up but it almost sounded like Dan. I think that was two days ago. But it was only a few words. Something about money and highway."

"Thanks a bunch, Ed."

"No problem, Mr. K. Hey, maybe I can swing by your office when you're back in town. You're still at Anaheim, right? Been wanting to ask your opinion on a career choice since you're the only cop I trust to be honest with someone like me."

"Sure, kid. Anytime."

Klegghorn hung up with another sigh and rubbed his face with his hand.

_So Danny had been in contact with at least one of his friends. But I wasn't going to mention that to Carol either. The woman probably would see it as a form of attack._

_Especially considering that she had told me that Danny and Ed no longer were talking with each other._

Klegghorn stepped into a hotel room. He loosened his bow tie and fished out a paper from his pocket. He sat down on the bed, picking up the phone.

He began to dial.

_I was able to make a few phone calls. In that time, I verified that Danny had almost emptied out his bank account, but had not done any transactions since the day Carol realized he was missing. Credit cards would be useless as he still didn't have one. _

_At least I was able to get the police department to issue out a BOLO on Danny's car, despite the fact that he wasn't registered as a missing person._

_But nothing was reported, which indicated that Danny could have driven out of town, or maybe even out of state._

_Calling around some more, I also determined that he didn't have a girlfriend, which meant he hadn't eloped._

_Although if that were the case, I'm sure it would have been amusing to have seen Carol's reaction with that bit of news._

_But other than that, there wasn't much more I was able to do that day. Without witnesses or more concrete information from Danny's peers, I was stuck._

_I had no choice but to break the news to Carol. And book a flight back to California._

_She wasn't going to be happy._

X

_All that chaos lead to today. On my way to the airport, I received a call from Commissioner Lyons. And should I say it was right after Carol had called me just to give me another tongue lashing?_

"Look, Klegghorn, I know I said you could have the days you needed off but we need you back in Anaheim as soon as possible."

Klegghorn sighed. "Not a problem. There isn't much I can do right now so..."

"The department will reimburse you if you can return today. Just fill out the paperwork."

"Yes, sir."

_Look. Integrity demands that I be honest and let the man know that I'm already on my way back. But since he was a bigger jerk than average, I really felt no need to let him know that. After all, the man offered to pick up the tab._

"I don't know how you manage it, but those Ducks might as well be a menace to human kind! Them and those wretched dinosaurs!"

"The Saurians, sir?"

"Whatever! They created chaos in the city, attacking one another! You need to get back here and get these animals under control."

"Yes, sir."

_Nice to know I could count on those Ducks to stay in trouble even when I'm not there._

X

_And so here I am, arriving at the precinct, ready to tackle these problems that never seem to stop._

Klegghorn yawned as he headed into his office.

"Captain?" asked one of his people as they saw him enter. "Weren't you on your way to New York for family reasons?"

"Change of plans. Someone tell me what's going that I had to rush back?"

"Those lizards attacked the ducks again, this time while they were out at the park while participating in a friendly field hockey scrimmage."

"What's the damage?"

"A fence and a few trees, sir. Most of the chaos was from the people running away. The Commissioner kind of freaked but it wasn't as bad as some of the other past cases."

Klegghorn snorted. "I think the sight of any scale or feather causes him to panic right now. Get me all the paper work so I can review. I don't know what he expects me to do after the fact, but at least I'll have the information."

Shortly afterwards, Klegghorn was sitting at his desk, looking over the police reports, and giving the ducks another call.

"Are you guys completely incapable of taking a break without attracting mayhem? Some of us really need a vacation, you know."

"Captain?" responded Wildwing. "Uh, weren't you suppose to be…"

"Out of town? Yeah, yeah. It seems no one knows what to do with you lot without me around." Briefly Klegghorn wondered if Agent Belle was still around, would he have actually had an opportunity to take a break. Figures how the feds would impose when they weren't wanted, and not be found when they were.

The communication with the ducks was pretty quick. It seemed the encounter really was unexpected on both sides judging by how the damage was actually minimal. It was an instant reaction of firing on each other after spotting each other.

But his mind didn't stay focused on the task for long. His office phone rang right before he got ready to leave.

_Do I really want to pick that up? It's probably Carol again, ready to call me names._

With a sigh, he reached over and picked up the phone.

"Klegghorn, speaking."

"Mr. Klegghorn?"

_My stomach is turning to lead. I am always referred to as 'Captain.' To be addressed as a civie never is a good thing._

"Yes?"

X

The door to Klegghorn's home slowly swung open, and Klegghorn shuffled in, looking much older and haggard than he ever had on his worst days. His eyes were bloodshot, and his shoulders dropped.

So his son's car was found abandoned alongside a road in Nebraska, with no sign of him. The local police had taken the time to check with the NYPD on a possible BOLO.

They had tried calling Carol, but she wasn't answering for once. So they had called him next since his name was on the form.

He would have to call her and let her know. But then what? Make a trip to Nebraska?

Klegghorn picked up the photo frame on his coffee table and sighed once more, staring at the photo of Danny when he was about ten. He could feel his eyes burning as he hoped that his son was alive and well.

He set the photo down and leaned back into the sofa, staring into the ceiling.

He once again found himself wondering if it had been all worth it, sacrificing his marriage to his career. While he couldn't help but feel that his marriage probably would have only lasted a bit longer, it was not fighting for Danny that gave him regret. Maybe he would have been able to work things out with his son here.

The doorbell rang, snapping him out of his thoughts. Klegghorn grunted as he got himself out of the seat and make his way to his door.

"What can I help you with?" he started asking, wondering which of his neighbors was bothering him at this hour. He froze, feeling stunned, when he saw who was standing in the doorway.

A tall lanky young man with red hair stood sheepishly, two duffle bags by his feet, scratching the back of his head.

"Um, hi, Dad."

To be continued…

**In the Next episode of Mighty Ducks: **

In a battle between good and evil…

Allies must unite and stay strong…

Unexpected situation will be encountered…

And unfortunately…

Sacrifices will be made…

Saurian Code Productions: Season 2 finale will begin.


	12. Ep 11: Allies and (Part 1 of 3)

_A/N: Panicked. Saw on one website Dragonus… meaning I've been misspelling his name for over a decade… but then I saw on another website, Dragaunus and yet another Draguanus (which I realized I've used both versions. So… how the hell is it really spelled? I need to find a Disney book or comic… Or if someone is kind enough to review AND let me know if they find an official source… Also, as in some movies, read through to the very end… there might be an extra scene after the previews and the additional author notes. =) )_

_Characters of Mighty Ducks are property of Disney._

**Allies and Enemies: Battles (Part 1)**

Silence reigned over Anaheim as the sky was relatively dark. The bright lights of the city kept the stars from being visible as a cloaked figure stood on top of one of the buildings, looking down at the streets below. Soon they would be crowded with vehicles filled with people on their way to work.

A soft breeze ruffled the cloak, temporarily exposing the grey snout and magenta lips of Nightbloom. Her yellow eyes glowed from under the hood's shadow.

The time was definitely near. The last of her pawns were moving into place, and her hidden ace had relinquished his spot of power, making it easier to find him when she needed him.

And her ultimate prey would fall into her trap.

Off in a distance, smoke began to rise from one of the midsized buildings. A series of small explosions echoed through the air as she could see the flashes climbing up the side of the building.

A few moments later, the sounds of sirens began to resonate through the streets, disrupting the tranquility of predawn. She could make out the different sounds of police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances.

So Dragaunus had finally chosen his moment to strike.

A well calculated plan. And one he did not run by her. A possibility she had overlooked.

At least he figured out that he could create the biggest chaos and confusion by choosing a violent way to rouse the humans from their beds.

She wrapped her cloak around her and dropped some powder. Smoke enveloped her and then she was gone.

X

Siege and Chameleon watched from the building top across the street as humans struggled to make sense of what they were dealing with.

This particular building was a lab and an educational institute, and while there were many interesting toys inside, the Saurians had no need of them.

But the police and the ducks wouldn't know that.

By their blatant use of their small teleportation devices, they knew they would have triggered the alarms at the Ducks' base, forcing them to respond and run into this commotion.

For once, Siege and Chameleon were thrilled with their tasks.

The past few times, Dragaunus had been telling them to battle the ducks but to retreat after filming them for a while. But then their leader had made them watch their battles over and over again. And just a couple days ago, they accidently encountered the ducks.

The fight was quick and chaotic, and Dragaunus had signaled a retreat. Despite the withdrawal, Siege and Chameleon noticed something. Even without their weapons, they felt as if given the chance, they would have stood at an almost equal footing to the ducks.

"Soon," Dragaunus had said.

…Which led to this night.

"Engage and stall the ducks as long as you can. When I send the signal, you can disengage and return here."

"So just the two of us?" Chameleon asked.

"Wraith and I will be busy stealing from another location, so make sure you make the distraction is as big and loud as possible."

Big and loud was exactly what they did. Programming small exploding robots to climb up to the top of the building and enter the air vents, Siege and Chameleon waited on top of the neighboring building just in case the ducks showed up a little earlier than planned.

As it turned out, one of the robots had triggered an alarm, and a couple of police car units arrived to investigate.

The situation couldn't have been more entertaining.

Chameleon had set off some of the lower level robots, causing a fire to break out.

The officers had backed out, calling for assistance.

Their delight grew when they recognized the human cop the ducks seemed to be in good terms with.

It was at that point that Siege decided to let all the robots explode.

It was beautiful.

The explosions ran up the side of the building, and large chunks of concrete began to fall to the ground, raining down on the people below.

Cars were damaged and officers scrambled about, shouting in fear as more officers and firemen began to arrive.

The red headed captain leapt out of his car just as a chunk of concrete landed on top of it.

More sirens could be heard, echoing through the streets. Siege and Chameleon cackled in delight as they used their teleportation devices to bring in more drones.

They would be prepared to offer the biggest, most destructive chaos to keep the ducks and humans busy for as long as Dragaunus needed.

X

"_It's almost time."_

_Canard looked at the figure cloaked in the shadows. A faint outline could be seen. But with the lights turned off on the ship, the outline of the figure came from the blank spots in the stars._

"_I don't want to go through with this."_

"_You must. And it won't matter. Come morning… you will forget the plan. But you will set in motion what I need to implement it."_

Canard gasped as he sat up in his bed.

He had been having the same dream these past few nights, and they left him unnerved.

He could make out a female voice, but he could never see her face. And the more he thought about it… the more he wondered if it was a memory.

Because he had no recollection of how he left dimensional limbo. It seemed that one day he was back after what felt like an eternity drifting in nothingness.

He slowly lied back down, heart still racing.

Closing his eyes, he tried to will himself back to sleep.

Alarms blared through the Pond.

Canard rushed out into the main room with Drake One.

"What's going on?" asked Nosedive, rushing out to the central computer, already in battle gear.

"Don't know yet," responded Wildwing, donning on his mask. "To the Migrator!"

Within a couple of minutes, the ducks were tearing their way through the streets towards the directions their systems told them the signals came from.

Upon their arrival, they were stunned to see the devastation before them. It all seemed pointless.

Charging out of their vehicle, they encountered a couple of uniformed cops.

"What are you doing here?" one of them asked, face smeared with ash.

"We got a blip on our radars saying the Saurians are involved."

The other one nodded. "The Captain mentioned you guys might show up."

"Where is he?"

The two officers looked solemn. "We lost communication with the Captain and three teams five minutes ago."

X

Klegghorn coughed as dust settled around him. That last blast had half the building collapsing, crushing the rest of his car flat as well as several others. He lost his means of communications with the field teams.

He reached for his phone to get a hold of headquarters when he spotted one of his men a few feet away, leg pinned down by rubble.

Another officer stumbled into view, coughing and wiping the dirt off his face.

With all the fire, smoke, and the reflections of all the blinking lights against concrete, it was difficult to see where everyone was and how the building was holding up.

Klegghorn waved the dazed officer over and the two of them lifted the chunk of concrete off the officer.

"Head away from the flames," Klegghorn ordered, pointing towards a darker area. "Have you heard from anyone else?"

"Two more teams came through but cut out. It's hard to hear with all this noise. Don't know their status."

"I'll check around for a couple more minutes!"

They could hear more sirens adding to the cacophony of noise.

"And get him to an ambulance!" Klegghorn ordered, recognizing the sound as being a medical transport.

"Yes, sir!"

As the officers hobbled away from the fire, Klegghorn began to call out.

"Can you hear me? Do you guys need help? Head towards the sound of my voice if you can hear me, or away from the fires if you can move!"

Another block of concrete landed next to him.

"Geez Louise!" he exclaimed, scrambling away from the block.

His throat began to burn as he breathed in more smoke. He dropped to the ground as he tried to cough out the ash he could taste at the base of his tongue.

A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder and hauled him behind a large slat of concrete as lasers started shooting around him.

"Cap, you all right?" Klegghorn recognized the voice as the one belonging to Nosedive coming from his side.

"Yeah, yeah," Klegghorn responded, waving away the hand still on his shoulder. Glancing behind him, he saw that it was Wildwing that had pulled him into cover.

"I've got at least two men still out there," he added.

"Already located all civilians and cops caught in this mess," replied Wildwing, tapping his mask. "The others should have already taken them to safety."

"Canard and Tanya are also checking nearby rooftops for whoever's shooting. So far they've only taken out robots."

Water began to rain down on them.

"Seems the firemen are trying to put out the fires," Nosedive commented, looking up as water beaded down his hair and beak.

A few more lasers shot out and then nothing.

"Now!" shouted Wildwing.

Klegghorn felt Nosedive grab him and haul him up. He was pulled along after him and he didn't resist, knowing that he was most likely following Wildwing who could see through the mess.

A few moments later, he found himself in clean air. Several of his soot covered people rushed over to him to see if he was unhurt.

"What in blazes in going on out there?"

"It seems to be some random attack," Wildwing responded. "According to all alarm readings, nothing was broken into, just destroyed."

"So it's definitely the lizards?"

"Canard and Tanya caught sight of Chameleon and Siege up across the street. They engaged in battle but then they just retreated before the rest could meet up with the other two for back up."

"I don't like this," Klegghorn admitted, looking up at the burning building. "It leaves a bad feeling when there isn't any type of explanation or reason for an attack of this scale."

X

Nightbloom stood in the shadows as Chameleon cackled in delight and bragged about how well Siege's and his decoy went.

Dragaunus laughed as well, ignoring the female completely.

"As for Wraith and I, we acquired the power source needed. We only need one more material to use as conductors and we already know where to find them. Then we'll be able to recreate the dimensional portal and open it to allow the fleet to come in and take over this wretched world!"

Yellow eyes narrowed and the female backed deeper into the shadows, completely disappearing.

X

Klegghorn yawned as he stumbled into the conference room, doughnut in one hand, coffee in the other.

Figures he would be called into this meeting before he had a chance to take a short nap. He only had time to wash his face, but his coat was still carrying the stench of smoke and ash fell off of him at random intervals.

He growled as camera flashes blinded him.

A press conference? His commissioner was obviously trying to make him look like some disheveled incompetent fool by not giving him a proper warning.

Seated at the table in front of all the reporters were Commissioner Lyons and Mayor Winsky, a white haired portly gentlemen with a comb over. To the left of the mayor was an empty seat with his name plaque on it. With a sigh, he made his way to the seat and cautiously sat down.

"Mayor," he said as a greeting.

The white haired man wiped his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Captain. Glad you could join us."

"I was not informed that this was a press conference."

"You weren't?"

"I sent you a memo," Commissioner Lyons said from the side of his mouth, not looking at Klegghorn.

"Must have just missed it," Klegghorn murmured politely, certain that when he returned to his desk he would find the memo that had been delivered just a bit too late.

The mayor stood up and the reporters settled down. "Quiet everyone," he said, silencing the rest of the reporters. "We will answer questions afterwards.

"As mayor of this fabulous city, I just want to say that all available officers are looking into the destruction of the Burgundy's Technological Institute early this morning. Due to the extent of the damages done, we are partnering up with the FBI to aid in the investigations.

"We do have suspects, and due to the nature of these suspects, the attack cannot be defined as a random attack or an act of terrorism.

"Our esteemed Captain Klegghorn responded to the chaos this morning and was able to determine that the aliens associated with the escaped convict Dragaunus were indeed responsible."

The reporters began to murmur, clearly impatient to begin asking their questions.

The mayor cleared his throat and Commissioner Lyons verbally stepped in. "I must admit that some of my teams have been too lax in attempting to locate this menace, relying on our resident aliens to help track down this monster. Of course, this menace exists because they are at war with said aliens- aliens that we have graciously harbored for more than two years. Aliens that we have admired for reasons that should have been best left for our own kind. These ducks that have taken over and renamed our original Frogs… the Mighty Ducks. And therefore, we are setting a motion to revoke the citizenship status of these aliens and forcing them off our planet so that the Saurians follow them off this world."

"Now wait just a minute!" Klegghorn spat out, slamming his hands on the table before him.

The mayor looked at him in shock as Lyons smirked. Reporters stood up, shooting pictures and shouting out questions, most of them directed at Klegghorn and the mayor.

Klegghorn ignored them all as he stared down at his superior.

He may not be a fan of the ducks, but he knew it was unfair to blame them for something they had no control over. How quick the mayor and commissioner were to forget that the ducks had followed the Saurians here, a one way ticket, stranding themselves in a strange world.

Lyons was trying to kill two birds with one stone. Klegghorn knew it, but he had no choice. His outburst was going to put his career in jeopardy. But someone in the public's eye needed to take a stand early in the game otherwise the ducks wouldn't stand a chance in a society that would be quick to go from admiring to resentful. And losing that support would mean losing the only real chance they had at defeating the lizard man who was determined to rule the world.

It quickly became evident that some reporters were actually siding with Lyons asking how soon the motion would go through and what obstacles were they prepared to face. The other half protested the remark, asking how their chances of reelections would be affected by the numerous fans that the Ducks had, and whether Klegghorn was a supporter of the ducks due to his protest.

It gave him the hope and courage he needed to take that stand.

X

Dragaunus surveyed the room that held all the parts of his dimensional portal. The synthetic crystals, while no longer needed as a main power source, still functioned as the perfect conductors and gave his new prototype the power boost it needed.

He had no choice but to save acquiring them last. Unlike the other items, they were not in some lab with mediocre security features, nor were they available to purchase with the stolen money they had.

It was in a highly secured lab that had inadvertently created the perfect alloy that disrupted their teleportation devices. There would be no choice but to break in and take the crystals. And since it wasn't just the room made of the strange metal, but the entire frame of the building, it would not be a quick job. It would be a hostile takeover and a guaranteed battle with the ducks.

No matter.

His henchmen were prepared, and this time they would have permission to fight against the ducks with everything they had.

But what of Nosedive? While he missed the evil brilliance Darkflame had, the Saurian wench had made it clear that she would not help in bringing that persona back.

It angered him… but he could always hope for the best.

Once the world was taken over, he would see if any other Saurians could perform the spell. If not… then he would send the young one to the grave with the rest of his team.

Assuming the mallard survived the invasion, of course.

Dragaunus brought up the map to the building on his screen. He would need to plan out the best route to the specific lab and make sure his lackeys memorized it.

He was momentarily startled when he realized the wench was standing by his side.

She turned to look at him. "It is a formidable plan. The chances of succeeding are extremely high."

"Of course," Dragaunus sneered. "Will you also stand aside and watch this one?"

Nightbloom turned to look at the screen again. "I am considering being closer to the action with this plan. Inform me of when you plan to make your move so that I may prepare," she said, turning away.

"Ah… of course," Dragaunus stammered, caught off guard. Looking back at the screen, he couldn't help but grin. Things were finally looking up.

X

"Guys, we've got trouble!" Phil shouted, rushing into the den area where most of the team was lounging around.

Tanya, Canard, and Wildwing were searching through the internet on a portable computer, trying to locate any police reports that coincided with the bombing of the Burgundy Institute.

"You don't know the half of it," muttered Duke, as he, Nosedive, and Grin watched Bernie the Bear on the large screen.

"Captain Klegghorn mentioned that the attacked seemed almost too staged to be just a random attack," Canard elaborated for Phil's benefit, without looking at him.

"There!" Tanya exclaimed.

"Uh, today's morning excitement is past stuff!" Phil exclaimed.

"What is it?" Wildwing asked, stepping closer to the monitor.

Mallory entered the room, and seeing how most of them were crowded near the computer, made her way towards them.

"Guys!" shouted Phil, trying to get any of their attention.

"West Coast Labs reported a burglary. A prototype power source went missing this morning."

"What information can you find on this source?" Canard sounded suspicious.

"One moment."

"No, seriously, guys! Listen up!"

"It's powerful," Tanya responded. "But it requires specialized crystals to be a conductor."

Phil threw up his hands in exasperation and stormed over to the coffee table, snatched the remote from a startled Dive, and changed the channel.

"Hey!"

The next words caught everyone's attentions.

"_With the suspension of Anaheim's Captain Klegghorn, tension is mounting within the forces. As a result, it has been difficult to manage the situations in which alien supporters and haters have clashed in the streets. Many citizens are still unsure of how to feel about the situation as hockey fans are torn between showing support to the alien team that have brought them victories or to support the Humans Only rallies stating that unfair disadvantage should be eliminated by bringing in human players to replace the aliens."_

"You see!" wailed Phil as the reporter continued to talk.

"_With the Stanley Cup playoffs starting in a couple days, extra precautions will have to take place at the Mighty Ducks game this weekend._

"_Again, if you are just tuning in, tensions are brewing as a result of the press conference given by Mayor Winsky and Commissioner Lyons, stating their desire to revoke the citizenship of the Mighty Ducks, proclaiming that their presence contributes to the destructive moments such as the bombing of Burgundy Institute this morning. Adding fuel to the fire was local hero Captain Klegghorn publically denouncing their decisions…"_

"That's a load of rubbish!" cried Mallory, speaking over the announcer. "We had nothing to do with that!"

"They suspended the Cap? Why?!" Nosedive asked in disbelief at the same time, unable to hear what was said about the human.

Phil shook his head. "He spoke out against their decision during their conference. It most likely had to do with that."

"Why now?" Duke asked. "After all this time, why resent us now?"

"That's what I mean, guys. I've never had to deal with a fall of this scale. I don't know what to do!"

"Well, have they been asking for us to make a statement?" Canard asked Phil.

"I've kind of been ignoring their calls," Phil admitted, wiping his forehead.

"Tell them for now that we have no comment. But once we consult with each other and trusted friends, the team will make a statement and we will announce the conditions."

They continued to watch the news cast in silence.

X

Klegghorn sighed as he trudged his way up to his apartment. After the conference, he had been bombarded by reporters asking to know why he had shown blatant disregard to his superiors and whether or not he was condoning the actions of the alien ducks.

He gave his response and could only hope the ducks hadn't heard it.

Heaven forbid they took at as a sign of something as meaningful as friendship.

He had to shut the radio ff in his car when he heard most of the stations were replaying the conference and his statement, and how Lyons had publically suspended him right after. It was a PR nightmare and he couldn't believe that the Commissioner stooped to that level.

Klegghorn opened his door and was surprised by the delicious scent coming from inside.

His red headed son, Daniel Klegghorn, stepped out. "Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Danny."

His son gave him a small smile. "I've seen the news. What jerks! Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah. It's kind of like a forced vacation," Klegghorn muttered, rolling his eyes. "Thing is, with the lizards running loose, Lyons'll probably call me back in. Then again… he can't or he'll lose face in the public. What a dingbat!"

"So you'll be off this weekend?"

"Yeah. Why?" Klegghorn was suddenly suspicious of his son's innocent looking face.

"Well, ever since I've started the Academy, I haven't gotten a chance to do anything fun! My friend Robbie had a family emergency and needed to fly out, so… he gave me two tickets to Saturday's Anaheim play-off game!"

Klegghorn groaned realizing where this was going.

"Come with me?" Danny pleaded. "It'll be father-son bonding moment! And I mean, the play-offs! You know how much a ticket is worth?! It'll be the closest thing to the finals I'll probably ever attend!"

Klegghorn rolled his eyes. "Puppy eyes don't work as effectively when you're an adult, kid."

Danny pouted.

"But I'll go with you."

Danny beamed.

Klegghorn hoped that the seats would be as far back from the rink. It would just be the icing to the cake if he were spotted by a nosy reporter, or worse, one of the ducks, attending a Duck's game.

X

"_And there you have it. This past year, we have hailed the aliens who play on Anaheim's hockey team as heroes. But they are fast losing support of Mayor Winsky and Commissioner Lyons as they are being accused of bringing their war to us. Their recommendation is to revoke their status as citizens to our city and force them off our planet. Opposition was met by one of Lyon's subordinates, Captain Barnaby Klegghorn. What is interesting to note is that Captain Klegghorn has always been one of the most vocal protestors to the Mighty Ducks, having gone as far as to arrest them for suspicion of burglary, and according to confidential sources, demanded that refrain from committing any vigilante acts._

"_Yet his actions and his words contradict this behavior. Here's a clip of the captain's response when asked his opinion, immediately after the press conference."_

"'_It is hypocritical and unjust to offer citizenship to a group of stranded aliens as a way of gratitude for stopping an invasion and putting our city back on the map in terms of sports, only to go around and revoke it under the false assumption that they are the cause of this destruction. They have been fighting a war we should have been fighting and they have done so without looking for compensation other than being allowed to play. Now excuse me, I have no further comment."_

A middle aged dark skinned man raised a remote and pressed pause, halting the recording of Captain Klegghorn waving off the reporters. He turned to face a couple of figures just beyond the reach of his desk's light.

"You've seen him in action and got to work with him personally," the man said, his voice rough sounding. "Will he be a liability?"

"He is professional," responded a no nonsense female voice. "He will not be biased and he will act in an appropriate manner. Unless it conflicts with his sense of justice, he will follow the rules."

"It's clear that despite him being an arresting office, the aliens are trusting of him," said another male voice.

The older man grunted and looked down at his computer screen. "Lord Mai Edelweiss? What is your opinion?"

"Superintendent Matthews, my sources have informed me that the threat Lord Dragaunus poses for your people is more immediate than the few we have been monitoring. A battle with him would be good practice for your kind on the west coast as I cannot guarantee assistance yet. Having capable and trustworthy allies is a must."

"Very well." He glanced up to the two before him. "Make an offer then." He glanced back down. "And if what you say is true, Lord Mai, then we will make sure to have the teams ready. I'll inform the President and schedule a meeting with the international members of the CT."

X

Despite the growing animosity brewing, it was clear that a majority of the hockey fans of Anaheim didn't care about their alien nature.

They just wanted to win.

But it was clear that the opposing team's fans were more anti-alien based rather than actual fans judging by the signs they were carrying.

Duke's favorite was a picture of a dish called duck a l'orange. "That's just classy," he snorted, before skating onto the ice.

Dive couldn't help but feel antsy. All this negative energy was seriously, to borrow Grin's words, messing with his aura. Not to mention the referee was making quite a bit of bad calls or none at all.

Despite that, they were still up by three points.

Now if only the guy covering him would stop trying to trip him before he even got the puck. He was reaching his snapping point.

"Bet you think it's funny that you've been playing us for fools," the player was saying. "You got height on us and probably muscle so here you are, pickin' on us humans. So are you actually making way for your kind? Is there one big plot with the red guy to take over the world? You know, I heard a duck recently teamed up with that guy."

Nosedive turned around and pushed the guy and both of them started fighting as the referee blew his whistle and both teams attempted to separate the two.

"Penalty box for the both of you!" the referee shouted, probably the only fair call he had made all game.

Nosedive could feel his face burning in shame at the look of disappointment in Wildwing's face.

Nosedive groaned as he made his way to the penalty box. He knew better than to let himself be provoked like that. He knew he was going to hear it from Wildwing, Canard, or both after the game. As he sat down, he looked up and saw that he was on the giant monitor.

"Great," he muttered.

Then he noticed a very excited red headed guy giving him an encouraging smile.

Common enough.

The guy next to him however… he was slouched down with a cap covering his face. Very suspicious. Except… he recognized that scowl anywhere.

"Cap?" he asked incredulously, whirling around to look behind.

He grinned, pounded on the shield separating them, and waved at the grouchy police captain. Despite the shaky grounds of trust his team and the captain shared, it meant a lot to him to see the short guy here, especially after the press conference.

Meanwhile, in his seat, Klegghorn was mentally cursing his luck.

While a bit apprehensive at learning their seats were right behind the penalty box, he knew from news reports and some games watched at a pub or home, that the team members were rarely sent to the penalty box.

Figures in the one game he attended as a spectator, the young duck would fight and land himself in trouble, and spot him while penalized.

…And his excited greeting being captured on the hanging screens.

"Dad! Do you personally know him?" Danny asked. "Hey look! We're on the big screen!"

"I've had enough of being caught on camera," Klegghorn muttered, lowering his cap lower on his face and slouching even further.

"Aw, don't be like that!"

"Dude, Captain Klegghorn!" Nosedive was shouting. "Come by the locker rooms after the game! I'll have Phil bring you back!"

"Oh, Dad, you have to introduce me to them!"

Great. His son was an Anaheim Mighty Duck fanboy.

X

"Dive," Wildwing said as they changed out of their uniforms.

"Give the kid a break, Wing," Canard muttered, earning a glare from the current captain. "They were playing dirty and the ref was ignoring a lot of bad moves." Despite their win, the jeering from the alien haters left a bad taste in his mouth.

"He knows better than to lose his temper."

"I know, and I'm sorry, but… you won't believe who came to our game!"

The door leading to the changing rooms opened, revealing Phil, Captain Klegghorn, and some young man they've never met.

With the exception of Dive, all the present ducks were dumbfounded at seeing Klegghorn wearing any Mighty Ducks paraphernalia.

Klegghorn's face was bright red as Duke was the first to react… with laughter.

"Captain! I can't believe you'd wear a hat with our logo on it, much less a jersey!"

"Laugh it up, bird brain," Klegghorn growled. "I did if tor my son. Guys, this is Daniel."

Nosedive scrambled to be the first to shake Danny's hand as the ducks were surprised once more.

"Son?!"

"I thought you looked familiar! I saw a picture of you when you were a kid!" Nosedive stated.

The door opened and Mallory and Tanya stepped in, out of their uniform and already in their street clothes.

The ladies, while stunned, took the introductions with a lot more grace than the males did.

Nosedive, Mallory, and Danny quickly began to chat up a storm as the human male mentioned that he was attending the police academy to become an officer like his father. He also congratulated them on their win.

Canard, Wildwing, and the others gathered around Klegghorn to talk with him.

"Cap, we really appreciate you taking a stand on our behalf," Wildwing said.

"Those guys are morons for suspending you like that," added Duke.

"Thanks," Klegghorn responded with a smirk. How could he not find amusement that the aliens believed the same thing he did?

"What will you do now?" asked Grin.

Klegghorn shrugged. "I can't do anything until they reinstate or fire me. Problem is, with Danny in the Academy, I need to watch my step. Although, other than his last name, not many people know I have a son. I try not to let my personal life leak into my professional one."

"I'll say," said Canard. "A son. Wow."

"If there's anything we can do…" Wildwing started to say.

Klegghorn raised a hand, closed his eyes and shook his head gently. "Don't bother. I'll manage. Just make sure to keep you beaks clean." "As long as Dragaunus doesn't make a move," Tanya said. "Should we tell him?"

"Tell me what?"

Dive, Mallory, and Danny stepped closer to the rest of the group.

"Ever since the bombing of Burgundy Institute, Tanya's been searching for any crimes that we haven't responded to, mostly because we were engaged in combat with the Saurians."

"It really wasn't until last night that we realized we haven't been fighting against the entire group for a while."

"Diversions? You mean that bombing and all the recent mayhem have been nothing but diversions?" Klegghorn asked, realizing where they were going with their conversation.

Tanya nodded. "Each time we were in a battle, pieces of technology were reported stolen. I cross referenced all the information I could find on the items stolen and our data base. It looks like Dragaunus is building his dimensional portal again."

"How much more does he need?"

Tanya shook her head. "Unless he acquired items through other means, he still has some ways to go. Not to mention some of those pieces aren't similar to any of their technology. So he may be building a completely different model. But if he's still seeking bullerian crystals, well, there are three labs still working on creating synth… uh… synth… those fake replacement crystals. We'd have to keep an eye on all three!"

Klegghorn frowned. "I may not be able to personally do anything… but I got people I can talk to who may be willing to keep an eye on things."

X

Canard sat on top of the Pond, looking out into the skyline. They had been played for fools and now Wildwing was going through a major guilt trip. Never mind that he had been leader up until recently the white mallard really knew how to feel responsible for everything.

"I fought him longer," was Wing's reasoning. "I should have realized he wasn't acting the way he normally would."

At least he was almost back to his old self. He still couldn't understand Wing's behavior. Being team captain again seemed to have mellowed him out.

A shuffling sound caught his attention and he quickly stood up, transforming into his battle mode. It didn't come from the access door, so it wasn't any of his team mates.

He raised his puck blaster as a hooded figure moved into sight.

Yellow snake eyes peered out from underneath.

Canard was tense. "Who are you? How did you get here?!"

A grey clawed finger raised up to magenta lips. "Sh… It is almost time," said a hypnotic female voice. "The Code honors no lies. Truths must be veiled."

Canard's eyes glazed over. "Speak freely but reveal nothing," he murmured in a dazed and monotone voice.

"The time for betrayal is near. Sacrifices will most likely be made. Focus on Hoffman labs."

The figure then vanished, and Canard shook his head. "Ugh," he murmured, glancing down and seeing that he had his puck blaster out.

"Why did I…" he started asking himself, scratching his head. He shrugged his shoulders and holstered his blaster before making his way to the access hatch.

A few minutes later, he was with Mallory and Wing.

"Anything new?" he asked.

"Klegghorn said he can probably get a few people to patrol one or two of those labs. Which leaves us with the remaining two… or one."

Canard stared at the list and then the map. "Mind if I make a request?" he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Hoffman labs. It's practically secluded making it difficult for Klegghorn's men to patrol, and probably the best choice for the Saurians to attack if they need extra time."

"You mean you want us to patrol that one?" Wildwing asked for clarification.

Canard nodded. "I have a pretty good feeling about that one. Plus if we use the Aerowing, we'll be the only ones fast enough to get to another location as backup if I'm wrong."

Wildwing sighed. "And we want no casualties. Fine. I'll tell Klegghorn that we'll take Hoffman."

"But what about the play offs?" Nosedive asked, coming up behind them.

"We used to play with just the six of us. One will be down here monitoring Drake 1."

"So we'll still need to vary patrols, Canard said, seeing the problem. "We can only cover Hoffman if we're not playing."

Wildwing sighed. "This would be so much easier if we had more people on our side."

X

The day was sunny as Danny was checking his bag and uniform for the items he would need for Monday. Klegghorn couldn't help but hum as he finished cooking lunch.

Despite being suspended, he felt good. Having his son around brightened up the day tremendously. Although it was going to feel rather vacant for a majority of the time for the rest of the week.

Maybe he should consider job hunting. As much as he loved his job, despite the lack of gratitude usually encountered, he knew it was going to be difficult to keep it with the ammo he had provided Commissioner Lyons.

A knock on his door interrupted his thoughts.

"I'll get that!" Danny shouted as Klegghorn shut off the stove. He wiped down the counter and washed his hands, eyebrows furrowing as he heard a concerned tone in Danny's voice.

Stepping out to the living room, he was greeted by the sight of two people in suits at the front door, one who he was familiar with.

"Agent Belle?" he asked, not quite believing his sight.

The agent nodded at him. "Captain," she responded, putting away the badge she had shown Danny.

"What are you doing here?"

"We have some business we would like to discuss."

"If it's investigative work…"

"We know of your suspension. It's regarding another matter and potential opportunity."

Klegghorn frowned. "Certainly. Danny?"

His son waved his hand. "Don't worry. Lemme just grab some of the food to go. I'll be back later."

Ten minutes later, Klegghorn found himself sitting at his table with the two agents. The male agent, who had introduced himself as Agent Mick Patterson, had placed two briefcases on his table. Agent Belle was sliding a couple of forms over to Klegghorn.

"These are some disclosure agreements. Everything that will be shared here is currently confidential and is not to be shared with the general public including friends and family and our resident aliens."

Klegghorn warily looked over the forms before signing them. He handed them back to Agent Belle.

"Captain, we are here with a job offer."

Klegghorn narrowed his eyes. "I needed to sign a confidential disclosure form for a job offer?"

Belle gave him a wry grin. "I probably should let you know that I am no longer an agent of the FBI. Thanks to the involvement of the ducks during the Extravagant Resort fiasco, I was reassigned."

Klegghorn winced, recalling the comment another agent had said during the Pond's bomb a couple months ago. "Sorry to hear that."

"On the contrary, Klegghorn… Thanks to my interaction with the aliens, it prepared me for a new assignment." She leaned back against the chair. "We are agents of CT, _Custos Terrae_."

"Of what?"

"It translates to 'Protector of Earth."

"Protect… a new agency because of Lizard man and the ducks?"

Belle shook her head. "They are just the tip of the iceberg, Captain. As we have come to find out, they are but a practice run of things to come."

Klegghorn felt sick.

"We were warned that there are small groups of extraterrestrials that have been infiltrating earth for two purposes; to destroy or to protect. They have, unlike Dragaunus and the Mighty Ducks, been keeping extremely low profiles and have been around for quite some time. The ones looking to defend the earth have been meeting with top government leaders around the world to plan for a war they believe will arrive here within this decade."

"And you're telling me this because..?"

"Your involvement with the ducks counts as valuable experience, Captain. And the agency is rather impressed with the integrity you have displayed."

Klegghorn sighed. "I appreciate the offer… but this is my city."

Belle grinned. "Don't forget. We're talking about a war that will involve this planet. Since it's obvious the ducks are willing to fight and defend us, Anaheim will be your base of operations."

Klegghorn took a deep breath as thoughts raced across his mind.

With Lyons out to get him, this opportunity would be great. It was rather nerve wracking at the thought that ultimately he would be in charge of a team meant to defend the earth, but… it wasn't exactly the same as being an officer.

"What will these duties entail?" he asked.

"You will be training yourself and a team for the most part, familiarizing yourself with some of the technology that has been provided to us. And you will be working with me immediately, as here in Anaheim, the primary focus will be to eliminate the threat of Dragaunus."

"Then you can count me in," Klegghorn said.

Belle and Patterson grinned.

"I'll introduce you to your team as soon as the paper work has gone through." She let out a soft laugh. "And it won't be a long wait."

The three rose up and shook hands.

"Of course you shouldn't need the reminder, but nonetheless… everything discussed here is strictly confidential and will only be discussed with permission. When we engage Dragaunus, the ducks will only know that we are there to assist. It's best they only have him to worry about for now."

Klegghorn gave a short nod. "I understand. And speaking of ol' lizard lips, the ducks gave me information on their next possible targets."

"Excellent! Why don't we discuss this in more detail?"

X

Nosedive cried out in frustration as another goal was scored against his team during the first game of the playoffs. It felt odd watching the game and not being part of it, out of uniform, and sitting below the Pond.

But for this game, it was his turn to monitor Drake 1 for any sign of break-ins in any of the possible targets.

It was obvious in their game play that the others were nervous, waiting for him to call them in.

Nosedive sighed knowing that his play would have been just as affected as the others. And so he sat, chewing on his fingertips, waiting.

X

Dragaunus's tail flicked to one side as his drones continued to assemble his dimensional portal. With only the conduits needed the exterior still needed to be placed, and several wires were still exposed.

"Lord Dragaunus," said Siege. "When should we go for the crystals?"

"Soon."

"Wouldn't it be more prudent to get it while the ducks are otherwise preoccupied with their hockey games?"

Dragaunus gave Wraith a glare.

"Every time I come close, those ducks manage to find a way to stop me. With any luck, they are on high alert and wearing themselves out by playing their games and watching for my next move. We'll wait till right after the last of their games and move forward then. And the purpose of this fight won't be to acquire the crystals. It will be to crush those avian with the worst defeat they will ever suffer."

Dragaunus began to laugh as did the other Saurians.

X

"Guys, what's going on?" Phil wailed. "Third game in and we've already lost two games! Normally you guys have these games in the bag!"

"Phil, relax," growled Duke. "We got more important things to worry about."

"No, Phil has a point," Wildwing added. "We need to make sure our head is in the game when we're on the ice, otherwise we'll lose the respect we have with our fans, and even that is shaky with all the negative propaganda that's been going on."

"We can't afford to lose any more games in this round," Canard said, backing Wing up.

"Now let's get some rest. If anything happens, Drake 1 will alert us."

X

Klegghorn watched as his son threw down the newspaper.

"What's the matter?" he asked, drinking his coffee as he tried to wake up.

"Just all the dumb stuff they've been saying in the papers. That and the fact that the Ducks lost a second game and people are actually thinking that they're holding back or throwing the games! But mostly it's about the mayor and Commissioner taking steps to put the ducks under forced protection and how they're willing to let them play their final games!"

Klegghorn scoffed. "Yeah, like that'll happen. I bet no one has even mentioned that to the team."

"Yeah, well, I still think it's unfair that they suspended you. How long are they planning on keeping you off the force?"

Klegghorn shook his head. "Doesn't matter, Danny. Your old man here got an offer that I couldn't turn down. I'll be resigning as soon as I hear from them."

"Seriously? That's great, I hope."

"It is. In the meantime, just do your best with the academy."

Danny gave a small frown. "Okay," he said, clearing hoping to hear more about the new job.

A couple hours later, Danny had already left for training when someone knocked on his door.

Opening it up, he was greeted by a smiling Belle holding a garment bag.

"Welcome to the team," she said. "Now suit up. We have a press conference to attend to, and you have a resignation you need to turn in."

Klegghorn was amazed. "Geez, that was really fast!"

X

Wildwing blocked shot after shot as his team mates shot the pucks in rapid succession for almost five minutes straight. He was gasping for air when they stopped and he could feel sweat weighing down the feathers around his face.

"Excellent work," Canard said.

Despite being team Captain, Wildwing found it was more of a work out when he gave Canard permissions to set up his regime while the others followed his orders.

"Let's make sure you keep that up for tonight's game," Canard added.

Out in the stands, Phil was wiping his forehead as he spoke on his phone. "Listen, no one has spoken to us about all this stuff. Everything we know has been through radio, television, newspapers and the internet! It's rather ridiculous if you ask me. But as their manager, my official stand is that they are primarily here to play hockey. Fighting crime seems is more of a hobby of theirs and I have no control over that. If you want to ask questions about their games, come to me. Anything else, you'll have to wait until they decide to speak about it. I… uh… hold on. I got another call."

"Palmfeather… oh hey!... What?... Seriously? Well, if you insist I'll pass the word… Okay, see you later…"

"Hello?.. Well, looks like you're in luck. Seems there will be a press conference held sometime before tonight's game so you'll have your chance to ask questions then… Just wait until it's announced. Ciao."

Phil sighed in exhaustion as he hurried down the steps to the skating rink.

"Guys, I need you to hit the showers and look sharp. Klegghorn just called. Seems he and some broad named Agent Belle want to set up a press conference and they need to brief you guys about some things."

The team all looked at each other, surprised.

X

Commissioner Lyons sat as his desk, currently ignoring some calls as he took a quick break. He still felt proud of himself at suspending Klegghorn, but he knew he would have to let him back on eventually.

Union rules and all…

But at least it would make things easier to keep the Captain in line. He was a prime candidate for quick promotion and if he wanted to he could easily run for Commissioner due to his sudden increase in public eye.

For a short gruff man, Klegghorn had a lot of good work filed under his belt. His only black mark involved the Ducks.

The door to his office flew inwards, startling him.

"What the..?" To his amazement, Klegghorn strode in with the assertiveness he had been hoping to lessen with punishment.

"What's the meaning of this?" Lyons bellowed.

Unfortunately, Klegghorn didn't bat an eye.

Instead, the detective placed a badge, gun, and an envelope on Lyon's desk.

"I've been given a different job with the government. This is my resignation."

"What?!" Lyons was shocked. This was not expected He hadn't bothered to find someone to replace Klegghorn. It wasn't part of the plan yet.

Klegghorn placed another form on Lyon's desk. "And this is a document to inform you of the government sanctioned CT agency. Similar to the FBI, when we take over a situation, you will report to us. And to make things clearer, anything extraterrestrial related will be under our jurisdiction. If you want more information, you'll just have to listen in on the press conference due to happen in three hours."

With that, Klegghorn turned around and left the office.

Lyons sat there, stunned.

"What just happened?" he asked himself.

X

The ducks were greeted with the sight of a familiar person.

"Oh, it's the lady fed!" Nosedive exclaimed, recalling she had been with Klegghorn when he had emerged from the sewers.

The graying brunette smiled at him. "Glad to see you looking all fresh," she commented.

Nosedive rolled his eyes. "That took hours to clean out the stench from my feathers."

The ducks settled down into the chairs provided.

They were also surprised to see Klegghorn out of his usual bowtie and tweed overcoat. Similar to Belle, he was in a black suit and a black tie. He looked a tad bit uncomfortable, fiddling with the tie's knot.

"So what's going on?" asked Wildwing.

"In roughly an hour, we will be going on air to announce the newly sanctioned CT agency. It is something I have been put in charge of for the state of California, recruiting and training team members who believe in the cause," Belle responded.

"And what cause is that?" asked Mallory.

"Protecting Earth at all costs and extending a welcoming hand to all who wish to be allies."

The ducks looked at each other.

"Being that we're a new group, and still rather small compared to other agencies, we will be focusing on taking out Dragaunus, considering he is our most immediate threat to our planet."

"Isn't he the only threat?" Canard asked, suspicious.

"For right now," Klegghorn responded. "Which is why Anaheim will be the location of United States' CT's primary headquarters. Other branches will be popping up in different states to help cover the nation."

"We have reason to believe that Dragaunus might be only the beginning as your arrival means there are other intelligent life forms out there. Which is why, seeing how those two witch hunters are trying to turn everyone against you, we are here to officially request your assistance as deputized aliens."

"Well that sounds cool," chimed Duke.

"And what does that entail?" asked Mallory.

Klegghorn spoke up. "It means that you are to go about your business until we call you or seek council. I know you guys have been playing your games one player short… Danny's not happy with your last two games… so we're here to tell you not to worry. We got man power to watch the areas you suspected. But we're also here to ask you guys to help us set up a system to track the anomalies you guys use to track lizard lips."

"It also means the government will help cover damages on any legit battles," added Belle. "Because as of right now, I should probably warn you, Anaheim is building a law suit against you guys for all the damages your battles have caused."

"What? But some of those resulted in lives saved!" Wildwing was stunned and Phil groaned.

"Humans are fickle," Klegghorn snorted, thinking of his commissioner.

Canard was clearly worried. "So are we going to be asked to stay out of battles?"

"On the contrary. I meant what I said. Once we engage the enemy, you will be paged. And as we build the team and continue to go international, you will be called to train and explain any technological advances we gain through any joint developments or operations."

"I'm not sure if I like that idea," Wildwing said. "Our technology… our weapons… aren't meant to be fatal. They're meant to disarm or incapacitate our opponents."

"And we respect that. We won't ask for weapons of mass destruction if that was where your concerns were leaning towards. We are currently more concerned with defensive technology right now. So what do you say?"

"So you really do mean to have us help you?"

"It should have been a partnership from the beginning. But our government is full of red tape… you have no idea how long it takes to requisition an extra stapler." Belle rolled her eyes.

Wildwing looked at Canard.

"Your call, Wing."

Wing furrowed his eyebrows. "Klegghorn?" he asked in a questioning tone.

"It's legit," Klegghorn said, realizing the team captain was looking for reassurance. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't."

"Then we'll take that deal."

X

"_Citizens of United States… and people of the world, last year, in the city of Anaheim, California, it was announced that an alien by the name of Dragaunus was plotting to bring an army and take over our world. As your president, I am here to tell you that we have been working on preparing specialized teams to defend against future attacks, starting with the Saurian Dragaunus._

"_I will now turn over to Superintendent Matthews, leader of the newly sanctioned _Custos Terrae_."_

"_People of Anaheim, and people of the world… As mentioned, we have already been preparing teams, and we have been preparing since three years ago when the aliens known as the Mighty Ducks first arrived. During that time, the aliens turned hockey players have been crusading as vigilantes, keeping crime low and fighting the secret battle against Dragaunus._

"_Unsure of our ways, they continued to fight like this without any other back up, risking their lives for our sake, and sacrificing their own way home. And by that I mean they were given a chance by Dragaunus himself, but they knew that if they left, we would be attacked, and being unprepared, he would overtake us._

"_Therefore we are officially bringing in the Ducks in as consultants and deputies in this fight against Dragaunus and any other possible future attack."_

Reporters began to raise their hands and ask questions that were barely audible from the screen.

"_Why? Because they know the enemy. The alien is technologically more advanced. Throwing the army against him will only increase the risk of casualties. As of now, we have another branch of people that have been training with weapons similar to what Dragaunus has demonstrated."_

"_Due to cost and complexity, and that most of these weapons are prototypes, we cannot produce them quickly enough for a large army. The Ducks, however, have wonderful defensive systems, and have agreed to help us develop our own for any potential future invasions."_

"_Yes, if they arrived here, what is to say more are not coming? As long as we are prepared, we will have a chance. And as long as we extend a welcoming hand to any potential allies, our opportunities for enrichment will be grand."_

"_No. Haha. Avid fans have nothing to fear. Anaheim's Mighty Ducks will continue to be the Mighty Ducks. Working for _Custos Terrae_ will be more of a side job. I will now step aside and allow Anaheim's team captain, Wildwing, to speak."_

"_Anaheim, we are proud to be of service to the people of earth, being as you were kind enough to welcome us and allow us to represent your city as your hockey team. We stood before you a year ago to warn you of Draguanus, and now we stand before you to tell you that united we will make sure that you are safe._

"_We captured him once, we will capture him again. And with the CT agency, we will make sure he never escapes again."_

"_Tonight's game? Well, with official back up, I think we'll be able to focus better and continue to work on bringing Anaheim another Stanley Cup."_

The screen shut off and Nightbloom removed her finger from the power button. Behind her, Dragaunus began to laugh.

"So the pitiful earthlings think they're ready to attack me. It will take them years to be ready, and in a couple months, I'll be opening the gates and showing them just how unprepared they are, with or without the ducks."

"So when do we get the crystals?" Chameleon asked Dragaunus.

"During their final game of the third round."

"How will we know they'll even get there?"

"After that heartfelt proclamation? I have a feeling they will win the rounds necessary for their finals. If they lose, well… they will have to find us first. But by three weeks of high alert, they will be tiring themselves out."

Dragaunus turned to look at his henchmen.

"Prepare the drones. I want those staged at all four labs. We'll see how much this team thinks they are prepared when they're forced to divide their attentions."

X

Klegghorn sighed as he stared at the building before him. "Figures," he said to himself. "New agency, new roles, same boring stakeouts."

His radio came to life and Agent Mick Patterson's voice came through. "Seems the ducks are keeping their promise of staying more focused. Half time and they're already eight points ahead. Nine to one. They're massacring them."

"Really?" came Agent Belle's voice. "You're listening to a hockey match?"

"I'm surrounded by duck fans," Klegghorn grunted as Bell continued to mock Patterson over the radio.

As the two bickered, he couldn't help but smirk. It was good to hear that the team was focused. After a close call the first week, it was good to hear they were going strong during their second round. At least Danny was going to be happy.

However, he was a bit worried. Two weeks was not enough time to get to know his new team and train with them. But with the imminent attack, they needed all resources keeping an eye out for suspicious activity.

X

The mind set of Anaheim had completely swung back over to pro-ducks as the fifth game was to begin in the evening. In the news, Commissioner Lyons and Mayor Winsky were mocked, although the small group of any aliens praised the two men. An upset earlier in the week cost them a win, but with a 3 to 1 ratio, there were high hopes that the Ducks would win their fourth game for the second round.

The Ducks were nervous and excited. They knew that if they lost this game, the people could easily start turning against them again. At the same time, the continued silence on Dragaunus's part began making them nervous again.

Was he planning on attacking them again during their possible final game for the cup?

At least with Belle and Klegghorn on the lookout, they were all together on the ice and ready for anything.

X

Klegghorn sighed during the radio silence. As the days passed, his heart kept racing more and more in anticipation of an attack.

But the fact that Dragaunus hadn't used the Stanley Cup play offs to his advantage only served to make him worry even more. The lizard man was planning something. And he knew it was going to be something big.

At least this eased the tension the ducks would be feeling. He could only imagine how they were, adrenaline pumping everyday for the past three weeks. They were bound to start feeling the exhaustion soon, and his biggest fear was that when Dragaunus did attack, they wouldn't be energized enough to be of any real assistance.

X

Drones began to move out from the sewer grates. They all had their own missions to get to their destination and await orders.

Inside the Raptor, Dragaunus was grinning with evil glee. By sending his troops marching, he knew that the ducks and their allies wouldn't have any form of warning. How they tracked them down to where they teleported he wasn't sure, but at least this would delay them or force them to split up.

Off to one side, a single monitor showed the team playing against their opponents. As soon as the game was over, he would send the signal to begin the attack.

Nightbloom had claimed that he was being reckless with waging war against the humans at this time, but he didn't care.

His main teleportation device was almost complete and he was positive with the new programming he installed in the drones, and the training his henchman went through, he would not be making it easy.

The ducks would suffer defeat and the humans would realize that they were not prepared.

A flash of yellow caught his attention and he focused on the screen with the game Cameras were on Nosedive as he raced across the rink to score a goal.

Dragaunus growled. As much as he wanted to have the evil genius back, he was resigning himself to the fact that for his plan to work, he could not hold back in fear of hurting or killing the young duck.

In fact… destroying him would probably aid in demolishing the rest of the ducks.

When he signaled for the attack, he would clarify that when he said to destroy the ducks, that he meant every single one of them.

"Farewell, young duck," he said. "I can't risk my victory by bringing you back."

X

Wildwing glanced at the scoreboard. With this being their potential winning game for the third round for their division, and the other team's only chance to earn one more play, the fight was pretty hard.

Nosedive's score had pushed them two goals over the other team but they were being aggressive in their counter attack.

His hand shot out to block one attack and he quickly had to use his stick to block a second.

The third went in, dropping them back to a one point lead.

A short moment later, Nosedive won back their two point lead as an assist to Canard.

Wildwing couldn't help but grin at how Nosedive was a lot more willing to give up a moment of glory and pass the shot off to someone who had a better chance at making it in. It was something he would not grow tired of.

Wildwing glanced at the scoreboard. Just three more minutes.

X

Across America, avid hockey fans were glued to their seats as the players on ice battled for control of the puck as minutes gave way to seconds.

X

Canard shot across the ice, luring two men after him. In his peripheral, he could see Nosedive pulling slightly ahead.

Shooting the puck in his direction, Canard grinned in victory as the two following him stumbled a bit and another free man scrambled to catch up to Nosedive.

The sound of the goal being made had him rushing back to position as they began to increase the gap.

Up above them, the last thirty seconds began to count down.

X

One of Dragaunus's drones aimed its canon at a car that held a man in a suit Through thermal readings, it was clear his attentions was being divided between the lab across the school campus and two electric vans parked in different spots.

The laser powered up.

X

"9 seconds left but it doesn't matter! Ducks are ahead by five points! Fans are already cheering as the team isn't even playing defense. They're attempting to go for another goal. And there it is! One more in and there's the buzzard. A last second shot by Nosedive, definitely tonight's MVP as the Anaheim Mighty Ducks are another step closer to bringing home this year's Stanley Cup!"

X

Dragaunus smirked as he saw the video feed the drones were giving him.

"Slight change of plans. Demolish everything in sight and gather as many crystals as you can."

X

Klegghorn took a sip of his coffee and let out a small huff as the announcement went over the radio.

"Congrats," he muttered with a smirk on his face.

As he took one more sip, a large bang caused him to spill his cup and cough in surprise.

"We have a bombing at Hoffman's!" he shouted into his radio.

"Here too!" came Belle's voice. "Get the ducks!"

"This is Patterson's team! We're being attacked. Patterson made it out but his car's gone!"

Klegghorn pulled out his communicator. "Guys, we were wrong! All three spots are being hit!"

Klegghorn grabbed his dashboard as something heavy landed on his hood, rocking his car. Eyes wide, he looked up to see one of Dragaunus's drones aiming a laser canon. With a surprised shout, Klegghorn leapt out of his vehicle, scrambling away as he could hear the whine of the canon powering up.

The heat of the blast pushed him away as his vehicle exploded behind him. His men poured out of their undercover vehicles, shouting both in fear and some shouting orders as the drones began emerging from hidden places, all firing.

X

The team was still on the ice when the page went through. Waving to their fans, they made their way to the locker rooms before rushing to their lair to pull up their com units and Drake 1.

"All three areas are being attacked!" shouted Tanya, switching to battle gear.

"We'll have no choice but to separate!" shouted Canard.

"Grin, Mallory! You two head over to Patterson's team. Canard, Tanya, and Duke, head to Agent Belle. Nosedive and I will team up with Klegghorn."

Canard looked perplexed. "Are you sure you don't want me at Hoffman's?"

"We don't have time. We'll take Hoffman's."

Canard gave Wing an uncertain nod.

"Let's head out. Situation sounds grim."

X

With Nosedive and Wildwing in the Aerowing, Canard Duke, and Tanya in the Migrator, and Mallory and Grin on the duckcycles, all arrived within twenty minutes to their destinations.

They were greeted by the sights and sounds of laser beams, gunshots, and explosions.

Drones were forming barricades around the entrances of the labs, slowly advancing in a circular pattern, shooting in a steady pattern. As soon as one was taken down, another stepped forward.

Police cruisers had also responded as back up but it was clear that they were all outgunned.

Mallory and Grin rushed over to where Agent Patterson leaned up against a SWAT van, arm in a makeshift sling.

"Glad to see you guys," he growled. "Fire the launchers!" he then shouted into his walkie.

He glanced at the two. "We're about to test the electric disrupter grenades," he said. "Hope they work."

"Are these Tanya's prototypes?"

Small booms and flashes of lights erupted from where the grenades landed. Several of the drones shut down.

"Not exactly," responded Patterson. "It's a hybrid from an existing prototype we were working on. It was originally meant for something more destructive until we saw that Dragaunus uses a lot of machines."

A familiar light was seen from within the drones.

"It's Wraith," Mallory growled, spotting the Saurian that had just teleported. "You continue aiming for the drones. We'll go after him. Just cover us!"

Patterson nodded and the two ducks ran to one of the nearby buildings.

X

Agent Belle was firing her own gun when Canard, Duke, and Tanya arrived.

"What's the status?" Canard asked.

"We were just fighting the drones, but just a moment ago our system registered a teleportation signal. Two of them. We have yet to spot which hostiles arrived."

"Give us some minutes. We'll get around the drones and engage the enemy inside."

"We'll do our best to cover you. The number of drones is uncertain at this time."

The three ducks headed into the cover of the shadows as they made their way towards the lab.

"Wish I had the mask," Canard muttered. "Tanya! Do you have any life readings?"

Tanya was already scanning the building with a pair of goggles. "I can see two all right. And, uh, judging by their sizes and shapes, I'd say its Chameleon and Wraith."

"This should be simple enough, Duke! Find us a way in."

"Got it."

X

Every time Klegghorn thought they were making progress, another drone would pop up. He wasn't sure how long his team would last with the ammunition they had. Not to mention with the number of men he had to pull.

And the drones were relentless. He couldn't help but feel that they were specifically gunning for him. It was something he noticed when one of the agents tripped and fell in plain sight. When Klegghorn moved forward to help, all lasers shot in his direction and the fallen agent was able to scramble behind another cover.

A familiar sound in sky caught his attention and he looked up. He sighed in relief when he spotted the jet the Ducks rode in.

The hatch opened and Wildwing and Nosedive dashed out, shooting at the drones and making their way towards him.

"The others are backing up Patterson and Belle," Wildwing said as a way of greeting and answering Klegghorn's unspoken question as he scanned the building before him.

But the mask wasn't necessary as Dragaunus himself teleported in plain sight behind his drones.

The three took a step back in surprise as the Saurian overlord exposed his teeth in a malicious grin.

_To Be Continued_

_**In the Next Episode of the Mighty Ducks:**_

Grin slammed a fist into another one of the Saurian drones as Mallory did a flying kick.

To his frustration and disbelief, the move didn't work.

The blasted thing had actually grabbed at Mallory's ankle and thrown her into a wall. Dazed, she still managed to get a shot off and blew the drone's head off.

X

Canard looked up at Wildwing. "They were more prepared than we expected. It wasn't just a heist. It was an ambush as well."

Mallory nodded. "Based on what Agent Patterson said, they came from behind and around, opening fire. So not only were they ready for us, but the humans as well."

"We were being baited." Wildwing growled and ran his hand over his head.

"We also have a new player," Duke added.

"What?"

Duke nodded. "There's another Saurian."

X

Dragaunus slammed his fists on the computer's keys.

"Curse this disruption!"

"What's going on, boss?" asked Siege.

"I can't get a clear signal out to my generals. Well, no matter. They know the time frame. They will be there waiting."

"What about the dimensional portals?"

"Begin moving them out through the tunnels. No teleporting! I don't need those ducks finding my unfinished products one by one."

_A/N: Tough chapter to edit because it was going on almost forty pages cutting one of my other two sections short._

_On top of that, I was two thirds way through part two… when I decided to change half of it. But part 1 is good to go as it sets it up well enough for the remaining two parts. Although I'm less than halfway complete through part 3, I decided to go ahead and post this since Part 2 is complete enough to do my usual previews. However, part 2 will not go up until part 3 is ready for final edits. _

_I'm also thinking of going onto Archive of Our Own. :) _

_And now for a final snippet._

**90 minutes later**

Emergency doors burst open as a man was wheeled inside. A tuft of red hair was visible as doctors and nurses were administering injections, holding an oxygen mask, and piling blankets and holding IV's.

"He's in shock!" One doctor shouted.

"The OR is clear!" shouted another.

The team pushed their way into the emergency operating room.

Following behind but stopping short was Wildwing, still wearing his mask, and a distraught looking Dive.

"Please wait in the waiting room," said a nurse. "A doctor will be out as soon as he can give you some news."

Wildwing gently guided his brother out as he removed his mask. Where did they go wrong?

X

Danny woke up to the sound of a pounding door. Shuffling his way to the entrance, he opened it up, his sleepiness and confusion giving way to dread as he spotted two armed police officers standing there with grim faces.

They took their hats off and spoke.

As Danny heard their words, he grasped the door frame, his other hand clutching his chest.

Both officers surged forward to catch the young man before he could collapse to the floor.


End file.
